Just one Wish
by Arachnoid
Summary: With the harsh reality of the high-school world and the constant insults from her tormentors, Maka turns to the blade to deal with her problems, not realizing the importance she has on people. Based on a true story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yay! Another SoMa. I'll continue my other one, but I must write some more! Enjoy. ;)**

**Disclaimer blah blah blah you know the usual. Don't own it. =D**

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_Maka's POV: _

I don't remember why I started doing this to myself. Maybe it was when I found out my Papa was cheating on my mom. Or when my Mother abandoned me for her own good, just to get away from Spirit. Or last, maybe it was the famous Soul 'Eater' Evans. I was head over heels in love with him. Well, the "him" I knew that is. When he and I were best friends. Him and the "cool" crowd, being Soul, Jackie, Kim, Blackstar, Kid, Liz, Patty and Kilik, with their constant mocking and teasing started to get to me when the things they were saying seemed to be true. "Loser," "Flat-chested bookworm," "Dork." Any time I passed them, or part of their posy, the calls were whispered, coughed, or shouted. The one that got to me the most though, was when they'd call me a loner. It was true; I didn't have any friends. I had no one to share my secrets with, no one to tell my fears. No one to help me out of the hole I buried myself in. The closest thing I had to a friend was Tsubaki, Black Star's girlfriend. But even she would jump in on the teasing, just to fit in at times. Blaire also tried to be there for me, but she had to work a lot to help us keep up the rent, and also I didn't want anyone to know I was so weak. So I kept a lot of things from her.

I remember when I started this… addiction; they had been giving me a particularly rough day, spreading rumors that I had sex with my teachers for good grades in return, or that my Papa molested me. Everyone in the hall shoved me down and started laughing at me, throwing my books into the toilets and kicking them down the halls. I ran home as fast as I could, tears streaming down my face. It was the first time I ever missed a lecture.

Desperately digging through our medicine cabinet, I was searching for the Motrin, knowing that enough of them would end this misery. Upon finding them, though, I noticed there were only two left…

"Two wont do anything!" I cried through my sobs, grateful for my Papa's absence. I didn't give up though, continuously looking for SOMETHING. And then, I found her. My savior. With her sweet, sharp edge, and her strong and sturdy handle. I twisted it in my hands, watching my reflection in the blade, and the light glint off it nicely. "This will do." I spoke aloud, and calmly walked over to my Papa's bed. I gently rested the edge on the base of my wrist, a beautiful vain awaiting her exposure. 'There are better ways to end the pain…' I thought, and quietly began to hum a song I had heard from my mother's lips. It didn't have any words, just a gentle melody. (1)

I pressed the knife into my skin as hard as I could, and quickly glided it down my wrist towards my elbow. However, being inexperienced in this, I winced, and jerked my hand away, ruining the perfect line. I tried again, placing it over the same line, but this time slowly slid it down the path I made. It hurt, but I could feel the stress slowly melt away, with the blood continuously oozing out. The feeling made me continue down the trail instead of pulling away this time.

Satisfied with the depth and length of my new cut, I carefully slid off the bed, and sauntered over to the restroom. Quickly rinsing off the blade and my wound, I placed the weapon back where I found it, and walked over to my room. I felt so numb, so out of it. My arm proceeded to bleed, but I didn't care. I just placed some tape atop of it, and walked into my room, collapsing on the bed.

"What time is it?" I mumbled through my pillow, talking to no one in particular. The clock read 5:00 pm. "I'm missing so much class…" I continued, remembering my extra classes in the evening. I turned over onto my back and let my legs dangle carelessly over the edge. I just lay on my bed, not a single thought passing through my head for a while.

I was snapped out of my trance when I heard my Papa opening the door downstairs. 'He doesn't usually get home until 8, have I been laying here for that long?' I rolled onto my side and read the clock, realizing that it was not 8. No, rather, it was 10.

"I'm not even hungry…" I spoke aloud, and pulled the covers up over my body. Entirely drained from the day, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

I slowly came back to the present, where a recent wound was running down my wrist. I could feel it pulsing while I quietly sat in my desk. I recalled how scared I was of someone seeing it the first day, but after the first few weeks, I realized it didn't matter. No one cared about me anyways.

It had been a few months since my first cut, and I was still madly in love with Soul. He was perfect, and charming, and very nice to me when his other friends weren't around. He would tease me in a cute way, and pinch my sides, making me squeal. My heart would throb when I was anywhere in his range, and it would always scream at me,

"Maybe he likes you too!" But I knew much better.

We were currently in the middle of a semester, and just recently finishing the study of resonance and souls, so we had to practice it. Thankfully, Stein was picking the partners, so I wouldn't have to be alone. All my tormentors were in this class, and currently sitting a few rows behind me, shooting paper balls at my head. I knew they would make fun of me more if I didn't have a partner. I decided to listen to the names Stein was calling and ignore the group behind me.

"Kim and Jackie will be partners" I heard them squeal in delight, and start whispering about how they planned on completing their resonance. "Uh… Let's see. Black Star and Tsubaki." He announced, reading over the pairings he had made.

"YAHOOO!" I heard Black Star shout, earning a round of giggles and laughs from the kids in the room.

"Kid, Liz and Patty." He continued, and a couple pats on the back were given to the three. "Kilik with Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder." I saw the two twins glance at each other, and look around the room confused as to who this "Kilik was" He did the same. "And last… Uh.. Soul and Maka I guess." My face paled, and my body went entirely rigid. I heard them whistling and shouting, telling him they "we're sorry" and "what a shame you didn't get a good partner". My eyes were wide, my palms sweaty, and there didn't seem to be any moisture whatsoever in my mouth. 'Being someone's partner meant… _Living _with them!' I shouted silently, scared and uncomfortable with having to be so close to him. The bell rang, a few seconds too late to save me from this new misery. 'Why me!?' The students were lining up to each receive their keys and go find their apartments.

I rose, and stiffly marched over to Stein, took my key, and waited outside the door for Soul. The group of people who were my bullies all came out at once chattering loudly, except Soul. They all went silent for a moment and stared at me while they were passing. I gave them a weak smile, not sure what to do with myself.

"Hahaha! Oh my death! Did you see that? What a try-hard!" I heard Liz bellow, forcing everyone to burst into loud laughter. I felt my eyes begin to sting, and my hands shake slightly. The pain was welling up inside me, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. 'No! You have to be stronger. Quit being a baby. You're here to get a job done, not make friends.' I lectured myself, wondering what was taking him so long. I peeked inside to see him and Stein talking intensely, Soul's face glum, and Stein's serious. He handed him the key and sent him on his way.

He was slouching, his head down and hands in his pocket. He nearly walked past me, but had to take a double take to see my clenched jaw, white knuckles, and glassy eyes.

"Hey." He said after clearing his throat, his voice wavering slightly.

"Hi" I whispered back, calming myself with a deep breath and a simple thought, 'You have something waiting at home for you, enjoy your time with Soul!'

"You want to go to our apartment?" He mumbled, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Oh sure. I was going to stop by my house real quick for a few things though first…"

"No problem. We'll stop on the way." He declared, starting off towards the parking lot to his motorcycle. I trailed slightly behind him and to his left, stealing glances at him constantly. We climbed onto the bike and sped off to my home, where I grabbed a few clothes, my knife, toothbrush and jammies, and made our way immediately to the apartment. I liked riding his bike with him, because I got to hold on to him, be near him. He smelled heavenly, his cologne nothing gross or strong like Axe.

Arriving at our building, we climbed the stairs to our apartment, and he gestured to door 109.

"Would you like to do the honour?" He questioned

"Sure…" I slipped my key from my pocket and into the keyhole, swinging the door open. "Wow." Was the only word that could escape my lips, standing before our new home.

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**A/N: (1) The song I was thinking of is called TwentyTwoFourteen by The Album Leaf. **

**Reviews please!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Soul's POV_:

They were so stupid. They thought that everything I did was a joke, that I only did things to mess with her. "They" being the annoying group of people who follow me around. Kilik, Liz, Kid, Patty, Kim and Jackie. Liz and Kilik were the worst, spreading those rumors about her, and encouraging everyone else to jump in on it. How un-cool...I recall Black Star had asked me one day,  
"So hey man, what's this whole thing with Maka?"  
"There isn't anything to say. I just like her."  
"HAHAHAHA! Oh Soul, you're so cruel. Even a god like me can see someone like her doesn't end up with you." He shouted, not believing me one bit.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped, snarling at the foolish blue haired kid. He just laughed and walked away.

Truth was, I loved her. She was amazing. beautiful. However, anytime I tried to get her attention, Liz would make it a game to see who could make her cry first. It was horrible, and every time I tried to comfort her, she jerked away from me and ran.

The only time I got to have a real conversation with her was during Combat Arts class. Thankfully, none of her bullies were in this class. She seemed happiest then, and I couldn't help but flirt with her. She was adorable.

Right now we were in the Study of Souls, and she was two rows in front of me. 'Do it Soul. C'mon. Just ASK her!' I thought, trying to pep myself up for the moment of truth. I watched her for a little while longer before ripping out a sheet of paper from my binder and quickly scrawling on the page,  
"Maka,  
Please meet me by the tree near the front of the school after class. I have something to ask you. ;)  
-S"  
I crumpled it up into a paper ball, and took aim, expertly landing it on her desk. However, Liz thought I was fucking around again, and she also took a paper, bunched it up, and lobbed it at her head right after mine. Maka glanced back and saw Liz snickering, and simply swiped the papers off her desk. 'NO! Maka you don't understand!' I screamed at her, trying to make her pick up my note with my brain waves... It didn't work. Kilik and Patty joined Liz in another one of their silly games. I had zoned out until I heard my name.  
"...Soul and Maka I guess." Stein announced. Her posture shot up straight, and she looked about ready to snap her desk. I realized that everyone was standing and at the front of class, making me one of the last in the line up. I presumed Maka was my partner for soul collecting... Wait! MAKA IS MY PARTNER! It was like fate.

She grabbed her key and walked out the door, probably leaving without me. I quickly tried to receive my key and go after her, but professor Stein stopped me.  
"Soul hold on a minute, I need to talk to you."  
"Uh sure. Whatsup?" I answered, confused to his question and anxious to catch up to Maka.  
"'What-sup' is I can't have you failing another of my classes. If your marks don't improve, you wont be able to graduate. I called your parents letting them know of the situation." 'Oh dear... Stein, you are so foolish. Do you realize what you just got me into?' I queried him in my mind, having a pretend conversation.  
"Now, I know you and your friends don't think Maka is the 'coolest' girl out there-" yes she is. "-but her studious and determined personality should work well against yours to have a more positive effect on your grades. Now, if I don't see a change in mark for your next test, I'll be setting up a meeting with you parents. And you don't want that." 'No we don't. You're right Stein, so keep your mouth shut!' Silently calling to him. He patted my back and showed me to the door.

I hung my head and stuffed me hands in my pocket. I was actually extremely anxious about this situation, despite my silent sarcasm.

I was about to go look for Maka when I heard a little sniffle to my right. I glanced over, and had to look twice to realize there was a person there. It was Maka. 'Aweh... She waited for me.' I smiled inwardly to myself, before I realized she looked like she was going to cry. I looked down the hall, only to hear the faint voices of Black Star and Patty. 'Im sorry about them Maka...' I thought to her, looking back at her gorgeous olive eyes.  
"Hey" I tried, realizing I sounded like I was going to cry. I might have; I was so stressed out, and the girl I need and love is hurting.  
"Hi" she said back, more silent than I had spoken.  
"You want to go to our apartment?"  
"Oh sure. I was going to stop by my house real quick for a few things though first…"  
"No problem. We'll stop on the way." I stated, grateful for any extra time with her at close proximity.

When we were walking to my bike, I couldn't help but smirk slightly, watching her from the corner of my eye glance at me constantly. I climbed on and patted behind me. She swung her leg over, obviously uncomfortable with her skirt. She gently slipped her tiny arms around my waist, and snuggled up close. I liked her embrace; it was comforting.

I started the bike and took off with a start, making her hug me tighter. 'Mission accomplished.' I smirked, and drove straight to her house, where she grabbed a few toiletries and we set off to our apartment.

Upon arrival, I parked my bike, and we walked up to our floor. I silently counted up to our door, '107,108,109. Here we are'  
"Would you like to do the honour?"  
"Sure…" I watched her fumble with her key and finally unlock the door, swaying it open. "Wow." She mumbled under her breath.

She was right though - this place was breathtaking. Dark, hard wood floors with cream colored walls, a maroon love-seat with a matching couch and chair. A moderate size television with large surround sound speakers. And that was just the living room. I sauntered in and found myself in the kitchen, with the same floor and walls, black refrigerator and stove, counters were a deep burgundy, the tops were black marble. A small table with four chairs surrounding it, also coloured burgundy.

I heard Maka step in behind me, and watched her touch everything in her path. The fabric of the couches, the smooth walls, the cold floor. She seemed entranced. I walked over to one of the bedrooms, and she walked to the bathroom. The bedroom was the same as the rest of the house-a combination of reds, browns, and creams.

"This place is amazing!" I yelled to her, my voice echoing through the apartment.

"Yes, it's beautiful." She replied, both of us meeting in the living room. She dropped all her books down and plopped onto the couch, spreading across the whole thing. I decided to play around with her a little bit, and sat on top of her back.  
"AAAH. S-ou-l y-ou-r'e sq-ui-shing m-e-e-e!" She giggled between my shifting around, her words coming out broken.  
"Hey Maka!" I shouted, for no apparent reason.  
"Y-e-ah?"  
"You wanna watch a movie with meee?" I pleaded, getting off of her. I lifted her legs and slipped under them so they lay atop me, and I tickled her feet a bit. She squealed and tucked her feet in, but scooted in close to me so our legs were touching.  
"Okay.. What movie?" She mumbled, being adorable with her face flushed red.  
"How about... Mega mind?" I asked, looking back at her and smiling.  
"Okay..." She said, a sweet, little smile creeping on her face. 'I love that smile more than anything in the world.' I mused, before going over to my bags and slipping out the only movie I had brought. Thankful for the PS3 set up, (not sure why it was here, but I wasn't complaining.) I slid the disc in and grabbed a blanket that was lying across the love-seat. Walking back over to Maka, I sat even closer to her than before. I draped it over both our bodies, and she curled up inside of it.

We were probably about halfway through when my eyes started to droop, and I found it extremely difficult to stay upright. I felt Maka snuggle into me and she grabbed my hand. Blushing, I glanced over to find her out cold. Her frail hands were icy, but I was thankful for her touch. I pulled my hand out from hers, and laid her down in front of me. I also undid the ribbons that were in her hair and let it fall gracefully around her stunning face. I wrapped my arm around her thin waist and buried my face into her hair, smelling strawberries and vanilla. I quietly drifted off to sleep with the perfect girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: sorry for the delay guys! enjoy.**

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_Soul's POV_:

I woke up really early, probable around 6 am, with Maka curled up beside me on the couch. I don't think she stirred even once, making a good sleeping buddy.

I carefully lifted myself from behind her, and got up and over successfully without waking her. I pulled the blanket over her again, and she gratefully sank into it. Brushing her hair out of her face, I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and made my way into the kitchen to make us breakfast.

In there, I found and remembered that both of us had neglected to buy groceries.

"Aw shit.." I muttered, tiptoeing over to the door, and slipping the key into my pocket. I pulled a jacket over my arms and crept out the front door, shutting it silently behind me.

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_Maka's POV:_

I woke up later than usual, probably around 6:30 am. I looked around me, and found myself alone on the couch. 'Soul must have gone to bed after I fell asleep...' I thought, disappointed. Getting up, I decided to go for a quick shower, only to realize I had one change of clothes.

"I'm going to have to stop by Papa's later on..." I regretfully spoke aloud. I slipped the dark blue, denim shorts and white t-shirt from my bag along with some underwear. I was slightly unnerved about wearing short sleeves, but I knew no one would notice, as usual.

I strolled over to the beautiful bathroom and closed the door behind me, locking it. I tugged my yellow vest over my head, and then turned the water on while I began unbuttoning my white dress shirt. Sliding it off my arms, I looked at my upper body sadly in the mirror. My torso was unaffected, but scars were running around my arms in different, random directions. I never made them parallel to each other or touching; that'd be too obvious then. I kept the cuts symmetrical, thinking about how Kid would like their design. Some were bumped up and filled with collagen, while others were just white lines across my arms, showing how deep I went. I glanced at the three new ones I had covered with band aids - I was quite the germaphope. Peeling them off, I was greeted with a thin one placed at the crevice of my elbow made from a razor blade, and the other two from my knife - which were much deeper - placed on my left shoulder, and the other at the base of my right wrist. I frowned, my eyes staying glued to the left wound. It was infected.

Over the months I had become a little obsessive with my cutting, always counting how many I had, what veins I had targeted, how deep and what tool I used for them. So far I had a total of 58, including the two dozen secluded ones at my hips. I slipped my skirt off, and recalled why I cut every time - depression, despair, numbness, jealousy, guilt, anger, frustration, desire... Blood lust. It was an addiction, a drug. And I was infatuated with the high it gave me.

I snapped out of my trance before I made another mistake, and finished undressing. I stepped into the shower, cleaning up quickly.

'C'mon... Your at 58! One more can't hurt you... Not literally at least' part of me snickered, taunting me. It was like there were multiple personalities in my head, always talking to me. The passive side, the aggressive side, and me. There was no "good and bad" angels. They were the victim and the bully, both of them fighting me to make me succumb to my destructive tendencies.

'No good can come from one more. You're only slipping in more.' I tried to say back, my decision becoming torn.

"Okay fine one more!" I shouted to them, and I could almost see their smug grins. Finished with my shower, I quickly shut the water off and wrapped the towel around me. I unlocked the door and quickly dashed over to my bag, searching for the blade. "Damn it where are you!" I yelled again. "Ah... There you are." I said to her, just as the front door was swung open. I screamed and dropped it back into the bag, falling onto my bum with my towel half falling off. I looked up to see Soul with groceries in his face, blinding him from the unfortunate scene in front of him. Tugging at the small cloth to cover me more, Soul readjusted the groceries just in time to see me scramble upright with the towel merely covering my front, my bottom left exposed to the cool air.

"Maka what are you doing...? It's just me." He chuckled, losing balance of one of the bags, and sending half of our groceries onto the floor.

"Soul you idiot!" I shouted back, and dashed back into the bathroom, trying to readjust the towel (again), while he was staring at the now splattered fruit remains. I slammed the door and huffed, angry with him for ruining my chance of one more beaut. I pulled the small container of polysporin and band aids from my pant's pocket, and covered my old cuts. I got dressed quickly, redid my hair and met him outside, where he was attempting to cook some eggs. He was failing horribly.

"Soul, you're not very good at that..." I teased, hip checking him out of the way.

"I just don't have the woman's touch!" He whispered in my ear, sending chills into my spin.

"Go get ready you weirdo!" I said, shoving him from my face and giggling. Walking towards his room grabbing his bags (and I have no idea when he got them...) he turned around to say,

"Oh hey, by the way! No fruit for breakfast, and this floor needs your woman's touch as well!" Then he blew me a quick kiss and ran into his room to change his clothes. As soon as he left, the smile on my face vanished, and I numbly continued cooking. I didn't feel real, alive. And I needed that blade. I watched Soul's door from the corner of my eye, wondering how long he'd be. 'Go grab it... Bring it to school... Do it there.' A portion of me called, bringing my eyes to the bag, a mere ten feet from me. Withdrawing my hands from the pan, I quickly dashed over to my bag and rummaged around for the knife. I found it quickly, tucked into the waistband on my pants, and tugged my shirt over it. I returned to the eggs just in time to hear Soul emerging from his room.

"Hey Maka, what happened here?" He asked, appearing at my left side and pressing his fingers into the bandaid on my shoulder. The bandaid that was covering a cut. A cut that was infected, and quite frankly hurt like a bitch.

"Oh nothing. I just dropped my books onto my face yesterday. It's how I got this one too!" I said, killing two interrogations with one extra sentence. I held my wrist up for him to see. I kept the one at my elbow secretive, and thankfully he didn't examine my arms further on. He just laughed and turned, waiting for his meal. I finished cooking the eggs and plated them, prepared for consumption.

I gave Soul about three quarters of the food, and gave myself the other quarter. He didn't seem to notice the difference in amount, but that was good. He sat down at the table, and scarfed his food down, while I stayed at the island in the kitchen; near the garbage.

I took a few small bites before bunching the rest up into a napkin, and quietly slipping it into the garbage. I wasn't hungry today.

"Soul, you ready to go?" I called after moving to the front door to slip my shoes on and taking my books into my hands.

"Yep!" He answered back, dumping his dishes into the sink. "You wanna take my motorcycle?" He asked, appearing behind me to copy my actions.

"Oh, are you sure? I don't want to be a burden..."

"Oh shush, let's go!" He said, taking my free hand in his and dragging my outside. Even after I followed him with no resistance, he kept his fingers intertwined in mine. I smiled faintly at the gesture before we came up to the bike and both sat down. He started the engine and we took off. I hugged him tight with my school supplies awkwardly between us, afraid to fall off.

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He pulled into the parking lot and I quickly slipped off the bike to get out of his way while he stood.

"What class do you have first?" He asked, taking a few of my books from me.

"Well first, I'm with Sid in History of the DWMA." I answered, before snagging my foot on something and falling face first into the pavement, books and papers flying everywhere. I glanced back to see Soul standing there dumbfounded, and Liz, Patty and Kilik snickering on my other side. My elbows were stinging, and I was sure I ripped the bandaid off my wrist. I looked down to see I was right, and realized it was filled with dirt. 'No, no, no! Not good not good. Don't get infected please' I chanted, swiping at the pebbles. Thankfully, no one seemed to have been watching the same thing as me, and I hid my arm behind me.

"Maka are you okay?" He asked, setting my books down and reaching for my hand.

"OMG! Maka, you poor little thing. What did you trip over sweetie?" Liz jumped in, giving me a fake smile.

I went to talk, but there was a lump in my throat, and my eyes were feeling a little moist. I coughed and tried to lift myself, and slowly succeeded, declining Soul's offer. I was trembling a little bit, and my leg was hurting.

"Oh no Maka! It's going to look like your dad threw you to the ground to assrape you!" Kilik laughed, and tugged on my pigtail.

"Maka you're leg! C'mon lets go to the nurses office." Soul said, grabbing the rest of my books and balanced them in his right hand while taking my arm at the elbow as well.

"Yeah thats right Soul, make her feel like you care and then just push her down again!" Patty yelled, and then my insides were hurting from the amount of pain I was in. 'Run Maka.' I said to myself, and after shoving Soul off me, made a sprint for the bathroom. I thought I heard him shout after me, but I was gone before he could finish whatever he was saying.

I locked the door to the bathroom, and went to the mirror. I pulled my shirt off and started screaming, sobbing, violently shaking. I remembered the knife in my waistband, and anxiously pulled it out. I grasped it firmly, and pressed it to my right shoulder, balancing the design. I closed my eyes and took a steadying breath, gliding it across. I cracked an eye open to see how deep I actually just went - it was about half an inch, and already leaking blood. My shaking slowly ceased, and my tears stopped. I still felt like shit though, and next I targeted my left wrist, hitting the same vain as my right cut. She was pulsing, calling to me.

"Okay, you're asking for it" I said to her, and in the back of my mind I tried to tell myself to stop, backup! I was already going off the deep end. But I wasn't in control. I felt possessed. I repeated the process and giggled a little, feeling the rich high. Grinning widely and laughing histerically now, I rinsed the blade off and then washed my hands of blood.

Oh this was bliss. This was happiness. Nothing else mattered right now. I glanced down at my hands, now steady and calm. There was blood dripping down my arms, and I smiled to myself in the mirror, triumphant. But I had to clean them, or else they'd get infected. I rinsed the blood off, and covered the two fresh ones with paper towels and tape I found in my bag. These would leak through a bandaid quickly, so I only covered the older one with a new bandage. I pulled my shirt back on, and after wiping my face from old tears, and placing some eye drops into my eyes, unlocked the door and exited the bathroom, making my way to class.

I didn't care about my books at all, but once there, I found them stacked onto my desk. 'Thankyou Soul...'


	4. Chapter 4

_Soul's POV_:

"You guys are such fucking assholes. Why can't you leave her alone?" I growled at them after she ran.

"Like you're any better Soul! You flirt with her so much and then you don't even talk to her outside of whatever class you have together. Only recently you have because Stein made you partners." Liz answered me, and it was clear they didn't realize the difference between how I treated her and how they treated her.

"That's because I like her, you morons! I've told you this. Just back off of her would you." Kilik grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the side, away from the sisters.

"Soul, you literally CANNOT like her. If things go further than you talking to Maka, you do realize that Kim will take things to an entirely different level, don't you?" Kilik tried to reason with me, reminding me of my stalker.

"Well I don't care about her. I care about Maka. And Liz doesn't need to force you guys to tease her either just because their 'best friends for life.' Some of you are going to have to tolerate her, you know. She IS my partner, and I know for a fact that we need to do a team resonance." He nodded in agreement, gazing at Liz. "That's not the point though. Just please get Liz to leave her alone..." I whispered harshly, walking towards the path Maka ran down.

"I'll see what I can do man." He answered before turning away. I gathered Maka's books and started towards the class she said she had.

Kilik may be a dick to Maka, but he was only trying to impress Liz. I knew he liked Maka; they used to be really good friends actually. Honestly, now that I think about it, everyone liked Maka. They've only ever been jerks to her when Liz or Kim is around. But Liz's apparent need to get me with Kim had every one of my friends trying to rip Maka apart - figuratively speaking. The fact that Maka's bullying was mostly my fault made me hate myself so much more than I could.

I stopped and turned into her classroom, telling Sid that she wasn't feeling well and ran to the bathroom, leaving her books behind.

If you ever snitched out what really went on, people hated you; you were a total rat, so I lied a little.

After leaving the classroom, I decided to wander the halls, ditching class and looking for Maka in the large academy.

_Maka's POV_:

Insanity. Madness. Oh my brain was going nuts. I was fidgeting so much, my eyes unfocused and distant. I was trying so hard not to laugh, not sure what was so funny. But my attempts at concealing this seemed to fail because I heard my name called out. I dropped my grin, and forced a relaxed, bored expression. I drooped my eyes to place coldness into my gaze, and slowly diverted my eyes over to Sid.

"Yes professor?" I asked numbly.

"Were you not aware of your leg bleeding? Are you doing alright?" He queried, eying the scrape skeptically. 'Aw shit. I was so busy getting off on my cutting I forgot about my leg...' Glancing down, I noticed the scrape crusting over, and dried trails of crimson leaking onto my flip flop. 'I like crimson... Like Soul's eyes.' The insanity spoke, pulling me off course for a moment.

"Oh sorry Professor. I didn't realize. May I go to the restroom?" I answered back, placing fake naïvety into my voice.

"Yes of course. Stop by the nurse's as well, would you?"

"Sure thing. Thank you Professor." I responded, rising from my seat and swiftly heading out the door. Like hell I was going by the Nurse's.

In my state, I didn't see or hear the body coming around the corner, and we collided.

"Ow! What the hell man?" I yelled, only to realize it was Soul.

"Maka? I've been looking for you!"

"You have? Why..." I murmured, casting my eyes downwards.

"Well after you ran off, I forgot to tell you we have to go out for dinner tonight and discuss partnership stuff." He replied, smirking cockily at me.

"And Lord Death says its MANDATORY to be done over dinner...?" Asking skeptically, I gave him a disbelieving look and dusted myself off from our little encounter.

"Yep. Hehe" He answered back, not even missing a beat. Despite his even voice and focused eyes, I could tell he was really nervous asking this. He just kept smiling, and I could see him toying with the hem of his shirt in the back.

"Sounds fine to me, Soul." I answered, glancing back at his eyes after watching his hands fiddle for a while longer.

"Really? Okay! See you later though, alright?" He said, continuing on his way. 'Alright, sure!' I thought, watching him go for a while before turning myself. "Oh hey Maka! By the way." He shouted to me from down the hall. "I'm sorry about Liz and Patty. Are you okay?" I simply nodded and turned to go towards the bathroom. I presumed he did the same because his footsteps slowly faded out.

Once there, I scrubbed the blood off my leg, and looked at myself in the mirror. My pigtails were lopsided, and my eyes looked dead.

"What am I doing with my life?" I whispered to myself, watching my lifeless eyes staring back at me. I fixed my hair quickly and washed my face. 'Maybe I should try going to the doctor's for some help. Maybe they can't help me mentally, but what if they know of something to help reduce scarring or remove it? That'd be nice.' I mused, trying to think of a way to get out of this hell hole.

'Aw shit, I must have gone real deep... These already leaked through!' I realized, looking at the two paper towels. 'Thank God it didn't go through my shirt.' I peeled them off and started redressing my arm.

Now, my fatal mistake this time coming into the washroom was my failure to check the stalls, and also to close the door behind me.

"SLAM" went the door to my left, and "BOOM" opened the stall to my right. I heard heels clicking on the tiled floor approaching me and saw the girl in the stall who was now smirking at me. It was Kim. I watched her through the mirror, and waited til I could see the other three girls: Liz, Patty and Jacqueline.

I placed my gaze down and washed my hands, still facing the sink. I tried to pretend like I didn't know what was up, but then Liz came up behind me, grabbing handful of my hair and smashing my head down on the sink.

"Listen here, BITCH." She screamed at me, lifting me up by a pigtail and throwing me against the wall, making me shriek in pain. "Soul is Kim's property. Their in love, okay? You ruin that, and I will break every one of your fingers." She whispered in my ear. She let me go and took a step back, examining her nails. "Look what you've gone and done, sweetie. You've ruined one of my nails." She said innocently, before landing a slap across my face. "If you force Soul to give you a ride to school or home again at such close proximity, I will beat the shit out of you. Y'hear?"

"I-I didn't force him. He offered-" I was cut off by a fist in my face - it was Patty's.

"HAH! Yeah right. Like he'd allow himself to be near an ugly pig like you." Kim called out, laughing accusingly at me. My eyes started to water, and I wasn't sure if it was from the pain in my head or the pain in my heart. 'Soul likes Kim? Of course he does. She's beautiful and fun and she isn't... Broken.' I thought, feeling my emotions plunge into complete despair. 'Don't give them the satisfaction of your tears.' My evil side whispered.

Despite her trying to pull me into insanity, that part of me tried to look out for me, make me a better person, a stronger person. I knew she hated me, but we both hated them more.

I clenched my jaw and bit down on my tongue hard, preventing those tears from arising. I glared at them all, standing up as straight as I could and building up as much pride as I could show. I can't take all four of them, but I sure as hell won't let them take me down.

"You can have Soul. He's not worth my time, I'd rather study." I let my emotions get the best of me, and filled my love for Soul with jealousy and hate. 'Oh well, I guess I'll just add another dozen scars to my collection.' "Now if you don't mind, I have productive things to do instead of dealing with a bunch of slutty bimbos." They gawked at me in shock, and watched me casually saunter out of the bathroom.

'Wow, I'm awesome when I let myself be cruel to other people instead of myself' I concluded, strutting past the three idiots and back to my class. However, I was still depressed and didn't want to be there, so I pulled Professor Sid outside for a quick chat.

"Is everything going alright Maka? You were gone a while." He asked, looking me dead in the eye. 'Thank Lord Death I have bangs to cover the new dent in my forehead.' My thoughts echoed.

"Yeah I'm okay. I was just hoping I could go home. I puked in the bathroom and I just feel really sick" I lied, holding my stomach for effect.

"Yes, I saw you in class. You don't seem to be yourself today. Go on ahead in and gather your books. I'll see you tomorrow Maka, feel better!"

I swiftly walked back in, collected my things, and started walking home. 'Good thing I have my knife on me...' I contemplated, looking around for anyone and a free place to sit.

I found a bench and set my things down, pulling the blade from my waist band and prepping myself for round 2.


	5. Chapter 5

_Maka's POV_:

I was ready to do it, to make another cut. The blade at my wrist, and gently pressing into my skin, but something was holding me back; I couldn't bring myself to complete it. 'Why can't I do it? You've never been scared of this before.' My mind questioned, trying to bring myself to slice in that quick, fluid motion I love. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, but not in anticipation or anger this time.

"What if Soul finds out? He can't know... He'll hate me and I'll lose him forever..." I answer myself, loosening my grip on the blade, and gently taking the pressure away from my taught skin. 'You don't need to do this.' I continue the conversation in my head, letting my arm fall limp beside me. The knife slides out of my lazy grip, and clatters gently onto the grass.

'You have no value. If you didn't exist, not a single person's life would have changed. Your worthless, unneeded. No one wants you, and you can't even do this one little thing for yourself.' My mind was empty, not a voice in my head but my own. It was lonely and scary, knowing I was completely in control this time.

"You're so pathetic..." I whisper, tucking my legs up to my chest and burying my face in my knees. I let the tears come, and sobbed there alone for quite some time, before recalling my essential visit to Papa's.

Groaning, I grabbed my items and continued my pity fest on the way there. It wasn't all that far of a walk, but it took me quite a while due to my refusal to look up from the ground.

* * *

Upon arrival, I took a deep breath and curled my gentle fingers around the knob. 'I hope Papa isn't on lunch break, I really don't want to see him.' I thought, twisting the handle and easing the door open, thankful it was unlocked.

I crept into my room - the empty house was eerie so I did not want to make a sound - and pulled a duffel bag from my closet. I flung open my drawers and began throwing in clothes quickly; no need to be there longer than necessary. I realized I had left my blade at the bench, and slipped in a spare one from a drawer.

I was just about to zip it up when I heard a thump and a loud giggle down the stairs. 'Oh no...' I thought, silently zipping the bag up the rest of the way, and sliding it over my shoulder.

"Oh Death Scythe!" Someone moaned, and I realized they must have been in the middle of something. I gagged, trying to hold back my repulsion, and cursed under my breath for my stupidity. 'How couldn't I have heard them?' Silently creeping down the stairs, I was just passing the living room when I heard a familiar voice.

"Spirit, I think it's best that Maka knows I wasn't here." The voice breathed, panting heavily.

"Yes of course. She would kill me." They both chuckled, and the smacking of their lips could be heard.

"Mm, Death-Scythe."

"Yes m'dear?" My perverted freak of a dad answered.

"Don't tell Stein about this either." She said back, and after peering into the room, I found Ms. Marie, the girlfriend of my favorite teacher, fooling around with my dirty scumbag father. I stood at the entrance, staring at them with so much hate I didn't even care if they saw me.

"M-m-m-maka?" My teacher questioned, trying to cover herself up with my father's shirt.

"Maka! Uh..." Spirit announced, swiftly turning and yanking up his pants. "Maka it's not what it looks like-"

"Just shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! I hate you! You bastard!" I screamed at him, sprinting for the door and running as fast as I could away from him.

I ran hard and fast, my earlier depression dissolved and disregarded for this reborn hate for my father.

He hadn't slept around for YEARS, and now he was starting again, with my teacher. MY teacher! She was only eight years older than me too, about 24. And he was well into his thirties. How DISGUSTING!

"Its all his fault. HIS fault no one likes me at school. It's his fault I'm unlovable and his fault that I'm not good enough for Mama." I mumble to myself, slowing to a jog. "I hate her too. How could she leave me with him? Wasn't I enough for her? The perfect daughter, with perfect grades and perfect dress code. I never disobeyed them, never spoke back." I continued, hearing my voice began to waver and my eyes sting. "Am I really that bad of a person, that not one person wants to talk to me?" My realization pushed me over the edge, and the pain inside was so strong, all I could do was slide to the ground, and crawl over to a patch of grass. I began screaming, letting the tears fall down my face and hit the soft ground. I clawed at the grass, stubbing my fingers on small rocks and getting pebbles jammed inside of my finger nails.

Protecting me from the people around was a large tree, gently swaying with the breeze. I turned onto my back and just stared upwards, like I always did in my sour moods, done with my temper tantrum.

Ceasing the sobbing but continuing with the tears, I lay in complete silence, playing scenarios in my head. Past and future, happy and sad, real and fake. Ones where I was a different person. Ones where my momma stayed and chose to love me. Where my dad loved her unconditionally and never cheated. Where I ended up with Soul.

Breaking me from my entertainment was the irritating vibrate of my phone in my purse. I sat up and just dumped the whole thing, finding it quickly and glancing at the caller ID. A smile immediately flashed onto my face when it read Soul, remembering our date, but suddenly I was nervous, thinking back to Liz's threat.

_"... Soul... at such close proximity, I will beat the shit out of you. Y'hear?" _

I did not doubt her capability to do so, and I reluctantly answered the call.

"Hello?" I whispered, trying not to strain my voice.

"Hey Maka, I was wondering where ya were. Sid told me you left early today, and it's already 5:30." 'I wasted an entire day sitting in a patch of grass?' I mused, coughing and clearing my throat for the answer.

"Oh, I just went down to Death café and did my homework. I'm sorry for making you worry..." My meek response came. Nothing but the static was heard for a while, indicating he didn't believe me.

"Just come home, I wanna talk to you okay?" He sighed, talking quietly.

"Mhm" I answered and ended the call, gathering my things and beginning my trek back.

* * *

_Soul's POV_:

I plopped down onto the couch, scared that something might have happened to her. She didn't sound right, and I knew she had lied because I was wandering all around town and no one had seen her. It started to rain, and with nothing better to do, I decided to clean up while I waited for her return.

I tidied up in the bathroom first, wiping down the counter and scrubbing the mirror clean. Next I went into my bedroom and unpacked a few of my items until I got bored. I was just about to go fix up the living room a bit when our door closed, and entered a dripping wet, shaking Maka. Her hair was curtained over her face, and a large bag was in her hand.

"Maka are you alright?" I rushed over, and slipped the bag from her hands and tossed it into her room. I grabbed a couple towels and brought them over to her, carefully draping it around her small frame. "Maka answer me." I said worriedly when she didn't even glance up at me. I guided her over to the couch and squatted in front of her, trying to see her face. "Maka please look at me" I demanded again, still earning no response. Ducking my hand under her chin lightly, I pulled it up and brushed her hair out of her face, and her weary eyes finally met mine. I did not like what I saw.

One of her pigtails was drooping, and her soaked hair was plastered to her soft skin. The skin where a large, red mark was on her forehead and another on her cheek, both swelling. Her eyes were red and glassy, indicating the tears she was shedding, and her eye had began to darken underneath on the same side as her marked cheek. 'That's gonna be a black eye.' My angered thoughts echoed, and my rage was difficult to suppress.

"Maka, who did this to you?" I murmured through clenched teeth, trying to remain calm for her.

"No-one. I fell"

"Bullshit!" I spat, venom thick in my voice. "Don't lie to me Maka." I demanded after taking a deep breath, trying to get some answers.

"If I told you they'd only hurt me more Soul." She whimpered, tears brimming her eyes and her shaking becoming more severe.

Sighing, I responded soothingly. "C'mon, go clean up and take a shower. I'll get the first aid kit and fix you up, then we'll talk about this. Be quick." I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, careful to avoid the mark and not thinking twice about the action. Her face flushed, and she got up swiftly and closed the door. The water went on, and I began getting things for her body; ice for her head and eye, and some bandages just in case. I laid them down at the kitchen table when Maka called my name.

"Soul, could you grab me some clothes from the bag please?" A small towel was wrapped around her torso, and her skin was glistening beautifully in this light. water droplets traced down into the towel, distracting me for a moment.

I looked away quickly before getting too aroused, and rummaged through the bag, looking for some pajamas. I had found bottoms, and underwear, but couldn't find a top. I was about to pull a random shirt out when cold metal brushed my fingertips. I felt around for the item, and pulled out a knife. 'Why does Maka have a knife?' I thought, shrugging my shoulders and placing it back without over thinking it.

"Here you go Maka." I handed her the clothes, and left for her to change. I sat down at the table, and moments later she emerged, taking a seat adjacent to me. "Maka who did this?" I ask again, gently dabbing her sores with the ice pack.

"Soul I can't say. She'll kill me" 'she?' I thought, understanding who the only 'she' could be.

"Liz." It wasn't a question, just a statement. I knew I was right. Kim was fucked up too, but too much of a pussy to beat anyone up, ruling her out. 'One of these days...' I think, letting out a huff and setting down the ice.

Her large, olive eyes looked up at me, and for a moment, nothing in the world mattered but her. I leaned in, and pressed my lips to her soft, and plush ones, savoring the moment.

**Reviews please! Also, I was curious if you guys would like me to update on a day once or twice a week. However, this will be a GUIDELINE, not a promise. What do you say? =]**


	6. Chapter 6

_Maka's POV:_

"Soul? What're you doing..?" I asked, staring at him as he awkwardly leaned in slightly and puckered his lips. His eyes snapped open in shock, and after realizing he wasn't in fantasy land, he tried to play it off cool, his face flushed bright red.

"Oh y'know, just uh.. Smelling the air. Gotta enjoy it. It won't always be around." He coughed, and uncomfortably shifted away from me. "Y'know, youlookmuchbetterandI'mbeatsoI'mgoingtobed!" He muttered so quickly I hardly understood it.

'Well alright, that was weird...' I thought, gazing after him, refusing to let my mind wander. 'Whatsup with him?' I took the slightly melted ice from the table and slipped it into the sink. I walked over to his door, and lightly rapped on it.

"Soul? Can I come in?" I asked, pushing the door in slightly. I could see him planted on his bed, face in his pillows. He grunted quietly, allowing me entrance. "Whatsup with you Soul? It seems like something's on your mind." He took a few moments to reply, keeping his face smothered.

"I just hate how people treat you." He turned slightly to say, looking up at me with his ruby eyes. "Does it hurt?" His fingers gently brushed my hurt cheek, and my brain went into overdrive with a sudden realization. 'Soul tried to kiss you! Soul is being touchy-feely with you! Maybe he-...no no no. he likes Kim! That's enough. He's just a flirty guy.'

"Uhh... Only at first. Then you get over it and don't really care all that much." I felt my blush increase with my recent thoughts, and he laughed at me a little.

"Hey can I ask you something?" He turned onto his back, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Sure, go for it." I smiled warmly at him, trying to make him feel more comfortable.

"Why is there a knife in your bag?" What? My heart stopped, my eyes wide. My breathing became ragged, and I was entirely rigid. I clenched my teeth, to scared to talk. 'How did he find it! I rolled it up in clothes and stuffed it in the very bottom of the bag!' My silence dragged on, and he glanced over at me, curious as to my delay. I quickly dropped the panicked look and tried to smile it away, however I was a second too late.

"I am just really paranoid of walking alone at night." I said, my voice cracking slightly. 'Damn, almost.' He looked me up and down skeptically, but shrugged it off, thankfully not drifting his thoughts to... Other things. I let out a breath I'd been holding and my body sank down a tad. Slight relief filled me, and he went back to staring at the ceiling. Still a tad nervous, I lied down beside him, looking at the same thing as him.

"Hey, so I guess we aren't going out for dinner tonight with myself looking like this." I giggled, and he frowned, displeased with my joke.

"I think you've had a long day. It's best you get some sleep." He told me, like a parent. I rolled my eyes at him and giggled again,

"What're you thinking about?" I asked, keeping my head stationary.

"How I'm gonna beat up Liz and Kilik and anyone else who touches a hair on your body." He growled, and his seriousness made me giggle.

"Why do you always feel obligated to protect me?" I questioned, turning over onto my left side, and he his right.

"Cause your just so protect-worthy!" He beamed at me and then pulled me in for a tight embrace, weaving his arms around my abdomen and clasping his long, slender hands to each other at my back. I felt so safe here, so happy with him. I curled into him, and my eyelids slowly drooped more and more. I was lost in my thoughts, slowly slipping with each breath. I was substantially calmer, and closed my eyes.

'You're playing his game Maka. Just make sure you can dance with the devil.' My last thought echoed, sending me into strange dreams of dancing with Soul in a large, black room; a small demon standing by. (1)

* * *

I cracked my eye open, feeling the bright sun attacking it. I curled into the blankets surrounding me and ducked my head down underneath them, trying to gain more sleep. I tossed to this side, rolled to that side, flopped onto my back. I was about to move again, but it was getting hard to breathe underneath the thick sheets. I pulled them down, and after a few moments of squinting realized that this wasn't my room.

Recalling last night and how Soul had acted, I started to smile more and more, enveloping a pillow and squealing into it. He was just so perfect! Speaking of which, where was he?

I pulled the warmth off and rose, making my way into the kitchen where a large stack of food was present on the counter. Sandwiches, fruits, crackers, chips, a variety of snacks, and a large basket beside it with a blanket near it. I smiled again, catching onto what this was.

"Soul?" I called, and saw a flash of white hair peak over at me from the living room. He bolted up and ran over to me, catching me in a hug and twirling me in circles. I squealed and giggled at his sudden action, and he set me down, ruffling my hair a tad.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty! You rest well?" He asked as he turned and walked over to the basket, placing the blanket in, and then the food in a random order.

"Mhm!" I answered, watching him intently. "What is all this? And what about school?" I questioned, joining him at the basket.

"Oh, well you see there's this girl who I'm suddenly dating and were going out for lunch. You mind cleaning up? Also, it's Saturday girly." My face fell, and I felt as though I could crumple onto the floor.

"Rea-" I tried, voice cracking. I cleared it quickly, starting again. "Really?"

"No of course not! I'm taking _you_ out for lunch, silly girl. I'm not an asshole!" He laughed at my expression. He just caught my glare, because he came over and hugged me again, crushing me into him this time. "Oh come on! Don't be grumpy! You're just so gullible!"

"Lemme go! I hate you, you're a horrible person." joking, of course. Giving me a large smile, he let go and finished packing the rest of the food.

"Well this is all ready! Just go get changed and were ready to go!" He shooed me away, and I laughed at him, quickly changing into a flowered shirt with light pink shorts.

"Alright Souly, lets go!" I kicked myself for my cliché nickname, and he chuckled, bringing the basket along.

I began walking to his motorcycle, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me quickly.

"No no, we're just gonna walk. It's close, just over this way." He gestured, and I presumed we were going to Death Central Park. However, when we were there, he walked through it towards the tree line.

"Uhm... Hey Soul? Where are we going?" I glanced around curiously, nearly walking into one of the trees. He grabbed my arm and redirected me, speaking softly.

"You'll see." He trekked though the wilderness quickly, and soon the forested area ended. We broke through into a clearing, and I was breathless.

The sun shone beautifully from here, and right below us were calming waves. It was entirely open, aside from the trees behind us.

"Soul... It's beautiful." I sighed, dropping my things down and slipping softly to the ground. "How did you ever find this?"

"Well after many years of being beaten -" he caught himself, quickly coughing to cover. "After years of being beaten by my brother all the time in competitions, I just decided to find something that was exclusively mine. Something he couldn't ruin for me." I look up at him with my large eyes, and when he looks back at me, I don't see the cool tough guy he tries to be. I see a frightened little boy whose just trying to find his way.

I grin at him widely, realizing how un-alone I am. Soul is scared too, and maybe one day he can help me be relaxed and happy, like him.

He smiles back, and then pulls the blanket out and covers the itchy grass. I stand and move over to him, helping him remove the items.

I slip a sandwich from the bag and am about to take a bite, when he suddenly jams it into my face, smothering butter and mayo all over me. I gasp, stunned at first as he laughs his head off at me.

'Oh this is war!' I scream in my head, and when his head is tilted back, snatch the cake and suffocate him with it. I laugh hysterically too; the cake was chocolate. He stares at me wide eyes, shocked; until he grabs more food and throws it at me. I jump up and run into the woods away from him. I can hear him behind me, yelling at me, but I don't stop. Not until I trip on a branch that is.

I fly face first into the sharp sticks and stiff leaves. Quickly sitting up, I realize I'm in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea where Soul is. He's calling my name, though.

"Over here Soul!" Snapping twigs demand my attention, and when I turn around... It's unreal.

A baby deer is no more then three feet in front of me, not caring that I'm there. I reach my hand out, and he awkwardly stumbles over, sniffing it. Soul comes barreling in behind me, nearly scaring the poor guy. I don't move, making him feel comfortable.

"Maka, there you are! What are you - damn..." He trails off, catching sight of my interest. He walks up behind me, placing his warm hand on my lower back.

"It's amazing." I mumble, mostly to myself.

"Yes, you are."

When I look over, he's smiling. With cake still on his face. I swipe some off with my finger and taste it.

"Mm. It's good." He looks at me, and places his forehead on mine.

"I was trying to kiss you last night, idiot." I can feel my face heating up, and my heart skips a beat.

"R-really now?" I'm smiling unnaturally wide, and I can't help but slip my fingers in his.

"Yep. You wanna try that again?" He's smiling like the Cheshire Cat, and leans in quickly, brushing our lips - for real this time. I melt into it, pulling on his jacket and never wanting to let go.

* * *

**(1) see what I did there? ;)**

**I don't really like this chapter, but I tried. Reviews I guess**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! So... How much do I such for this ridiculously late update? Haha. Sorry ! I'm not happy with this chapter, but enjoy! **

* * *

_Maka's POV_

Fear; It's what pulsed through me when he leaned in and pressed his soft lips to mine. At first I disregarded it, presuming it was only because this was my first kiss. But I began to feel nervous and queasy, feeling as though something was wrong.

Something tugged at the back of my mind, making me feel danger in this kiss. I stopped moving my lips with his, and pulled back a bit. His bright eyes looked up at mine curiously, forehead leaning on mine.

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed, and his crimson orbs bore into mine.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, my uncertainty apparent.

"Well... I like you, obviously." He stated, dumbfounded.

"No, you like Kim." I answered flatly, pushing him away from me.

"Are you kidding? I hate her. She's entirely obsessed with me! She will NOT leave me alone. It's the reason why they-" he cut himself short, oddly enough. I cocked my head at him, curious for his continuation.

"The reason they what, Soul?"

"It's... It's nothing. Point is I like you! Why would you think I like that bitch?" He spat, anger flowing in his words.

"Soul! Don't be so mean. How do you think she feels liking you, and having you hate her?" I scolded, thinking about the similarities of our positions.

"Why are you defending her!? She makes your life hell everyday!" He yelled, getting angry.

"So!? I'm not her!" There's silence between us, and he doesn't even blink. I roll my eyes and turn to go when he snatches my wrist and turns me back around.

"You don't believe me do you?" He whispered, seemingly calmer.

"Believe what?"

"That I like you." He said it as if it was as easy as saying 'hello.' My face immediately flushed red, and I stuttered, trying to pull away from him.

"It doesn't matter Soul!"

"You don't believe me because both times I said it, you let it fly over your head." I tried to look away, but he placed his hand on my cheek and gently lifted my face.

"Quit making things up! Your psychoanalyzing the situation." I huffed, masking my anxiety as irritation. I looked out the corner of my eye, avoiding his pools of blood-red in front of me.

"Why don't you believe me Maka?" He asked gently, slipping his other arm around my waist and hugging my close.

"It... I... He..." I couldn't talk, slowly recalling why I was like this. I took a breath, steadying myself to explain; maybe it was time I let it out.

"There was this guy I really liked in junior high..." I trailed off, listening to my voice waver. "He treated me very nicely, and after having no mother for a few years, and an unreliable father, I chose to trust him. He made me feel so good, but he was a bit of a pervert. It bothered me, but , like every fool in love, I could look around it." I kept my eyes downcast, avoiding his. "He always wanted to make out, but I was uncomfortable with that. I'd never even kissed a boy on the lips before." I took a quick, short breath and looked up at him. He was watching my facial expressions closely, specifically my frown. When he noticed me staring, he shifted his gaze to my eyes, and gave me an assuring smile. I hadn't realized we had sat down, and I idly grabbed a handful of grass and pulled it out. "He would ask every month, and every month I'd say no. Immediately after he would get another girlfriend. It upset me, but for some reason I wasn't ever all that jealous." I paused again, and sprinkled the grass out of my hand. "Anyways, that went on for a year and a half, and I had a friend, Ariel was her name. He liked her, and she liked him; I didn't know. But he asked me to make out again. Me, being naïve, said I wasn't sure. I decided to ask a different friend of mine about it, Monica, but she told Ariel." I felt like I was starting to confuse him, so I quickly brought this story to an end. "Anyways, point is she got mad at him, and I found out the past year and a half he had been messing around with me. It was a joke. I was heartbroken, and ever since I haven't trusted anyone." Wow. I just let out so much personal stuff. 'Goddamn it, you moron!' I yelled at myself, upset.

"Maka, that's terrible! I'm so sorry!" I could hold in my tears, it was entirely easy. But for some reason, as soon as he pulled me in for that hug, those little brats started leaking out of my eyes. I wasn't overly upset about it, but I was still emotional. I clung onto him for dear life regardless, and just enjoyed him. "Maka, sweetie. I'd never do that to you, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove it." Nodding, he let me go and kissed me forehead softly.

Glancing around, I realized the deer was long gone. Frowning slightly to myself, I stood from the ground and dusted myself off. He did the same.

"So how about we go back to our messy picnic, and salvage what food we have left?" He said,

laughing.

"Okay." My meek response came. He twisted his fingers into mine and led me back to where are site was.

We broke through the tree line a second time, but this time to food scattered everywhere from our little fight. I smiled lightly, and took my seat at the blanket again. He flung some old food off, sitting beside me and pulling out the other things he had brought.

"Soul?" I interrupted the silence, taking a cracker from its box.

"Yes?"

"This was really nice of you." His smile in response told me that he was glad.

We ate quickly and lied in the sun for a while before deciding to pack up. I was getting anxious to arrive at home because of my distress in sharing personal thing with Soul.

'What were you thinking, dumbass!' I scolded inwardly. I was acting impulsive. Like I always do. 'But that's okay, I could do something else impulsive that'd make me feel better.' I thought, smirking.

After everything was placed back in the basket, he took my hand again and we began walking back to the park. I looked up at him, but something seemed to be on his mind.

"Maka, I'm sorry that's it my fault they all bully you." He kept his gaze downwards, almost shameful.

"Soul, you have nothing to do with it."

"Yes I do. It's all Kim and Liz. They just want to get myself and Kim together, and they knew you were a threat. So they- well, you know the rest. It's selfish for me to be around you. I'm sorry." I stop our walking and lift his chin so he can look at me.

"No no Soul. It isn't your fault. They shouldn't be that manipulative. It's not normal. The only ones at fault are them. You've done nothing wrong." I give him a reassuring smile, and a quick peck on the lips. He grinned back at me, happy.

"C'mon lets go home, no? It's getting pretty late, and I only brought food for one meal." We chuckled at his joke.

* * *

It was around 2 when we got into our apartment, and I was feeling very conflicted. Happy and depressed at the same time.

Soul went to the kitchen to unload the basket, so I ran upstairs to my room quickly. I closed the door gently and slipped my blade from my bag. I crawled over to my door and leaned against it.

I rested the blade on my arm: not cutting or hurting myself, just resting it. I thought about what I had told Soul today, and how big of a no-no that was. 'Alright one small cut' I thought in my head, but I didn't flinch. I just stayed in the same spot for some amount of time, until a knock sounded above my head on the other side of the door. I squealed in surprise and jumped up a bit.

"Maka? You alright?" Soul asked gently, and I could hear him place his hand on the knob.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry, just wanted to lie down for a while." I answered, sheepish. He stayed silent for a while, not making any body movement.

"Okay Maka. Come down in a bit." I heard him walk away, and a breath escaped my lips. I sat back down and prepared myself to cut again. I pressed it in slightly before getting frustrated with my emotions and throwing it straight into the wall in anger. 'What's wrong with me?'

"Ugh I don't want to do this anymore. I'm just so sick of it. I'm too damn depressed to be depressed." I muttered to myself, collapsing on my bed. "Alright, come along Maka. Get up and go be happy some more." I encouraged, and rose from my spot. I took a deep breath, and shook the thought out of my head. I turned the knob and went downstairs to my waiting Soul.


	8. Chapter 8

_Maka's POV:_

We didn't do much after getting back from the picnic. We sat and talked. But after a while Soul left to grab something, so I pulled out a book and stretched across the couch. He returned a few moments later with some games in hand, set it up, and lifted my feet from the couch to slip under them.

I realized I had only been living with him for a short while, but when you love someone this much, you become so comfortable around them; things start to fall into routine.

After the incident with my father and , I avoided both of them as much as possible. I had heard from the other teachers that my dad had been looking for me; trying to find out where I was staying. But luckily he was too stupid to figure any of that out.

As for Ms. Marie, she didn't try to explain anything. I hardly had to avoid her because she was always avoiding me. I wasn't going to tell Stein though - how could I do that to him?

* * *

The rest of the weekend blew by quickly - nothing eventful happening after Saturday. On Sunday I did my homework, and now it was Monday, third period. I was in Asuza's class, and she was droning on about something boring. I zoned out, and tugged a few sheets of paper from my binder.

'Cut cut cut. Scratch scratch scratch. I feel rotten inside. Just constantly clawing at who I am, tearing myself down. So tiring. So.. tempting. Oh what I would do with a sharp object in this moment.' my thoughts trailed, and I began scribbling on the sheet. My eyes were entirely unfocused, but I just drew what was in my mind: scratchy pencil marks that I pretended were cuts. Over. And over. And over again. I was craving so badly, and I felt like I needed it right here, right now.

I hadn't actually cut in about 6 days now, and I felt like I was cracking; crumbling like ice.

I glance at the clock - twenty minutes has passed. Another fifteen to go. I start counting up to the number of cuts I've made with tallies. 5...10...15...20. Too late. The bell went. I was up and out in a few seconds.

I felt so ancy; wired almost. And I'm pretty certain I just walked by Liz and Patty without acknowledging them - uh oh. This would be bad. I kept going, and just waited.

Huh... Weird. I didn't hear or see anything. Maybe they didn't notice me? I swiftly continued on my way, and, amazingly enough, avoided a confrontation. But when I walked into third period, everyone's voices hushed down entirely. All eyes turned to me, staring at me like I was an alien. I shifted my gaze downwards and quickly walked over to my seat.

When I sat down, everyone started whispering to each other. I caught bits and pieces of it.

"I can't believe she would do that... What a bitch... How could anyone be so dreadful..." I wondered if they were talking about me.

And then Kim walked in; face red, eyes puffy and glassy. Everyone stood up and swarmed her, giving her reassurances and hugs. She smiled weakly, but after everyone sat down, she went to talk to the teacher. She turned around, saw me, and burst into tears - running from the classroom. 'Did I do something?' I thought. Maybe Tsubaki would tell me, she's in this class too.

Except when she walked in, her words were "I'm mad at you."

"What did I do?" I stared at her, perplexed and immediately anxious and on the defense. Damn, I forgot how easy it is to rile me up.

"You continued to talk to Soul, even after Liz told you to give him and Kim space. Now he won't talk to Kim and she's been crying all morning because he doesn't like her back."

"That's not my fault! There's no _proof _it's my fault he doesn't like her!"

"Yeah there is!" She counters, ready to blowup in my face

"Well what exactly could that be?" Uh oh. I feel my sassy side rising.

"He's telling everyone he likes you. You know it's only a ploy to get with you, right?"

'And .. Dam broke. Yikes this is going to be a mess later. I told you he didn't like you!' All those feelings I had so successfully suppressed came swarming out. I tried desperately to smother them, but it was getting to be a bit much.

"Tsubaki this isn't something you'd understand" eyes started stinging, palms sweaty, heart racing. Voice wavering. Come on Maka don't break. Don't... "I'll be back in a bit though" I get up and walk to the teacher before Tsubaki replies.

"May I please go for a quick walk? I'm not feeling very well at the moment" I say with every ounce of strength in me. The tear-timer starts in my head 5...4...3...

"Yes of course." I swiftly turn and make my way to the door. 2...1... And out the door. Those little suckers come flying out immediately, staining my cheeks salty and making my nose run.

I'm walking quickly, but I'm not even sure where I'm going. Just around the school I suppose. Everyone I pass just stares at me, even people who know nothing of the situation.

I feel so guilty. Like its all my fault. If I never started talking to Soul, would he like Kim? Who knows.

* * *

The minutes are blurring together. Class is almost over, I can almost be home. But Soul will be home tonight. Maybe today's the day I will try to die. Fulfill my one wish.

'Or I could go to the gym... Do a little boxing. It HAS been a while. Okay. Maybe I'll try that !' I think, and grin a little at my better choice.

* * *

"'Oh it's all her fault' 'how could she do something so dreadful?'" One. Two. Three hits. The bag flies back. "'Oh! Maka! I'm going to pretend we're best friends, but turn on you and take everyone else's side the second I get the chance. "' four five six kicks. The bag sways to the sides this time. "'I'm a crazy psychotic fucking WHORE!'" I scream the last word, throwing my biggest punch into the bag, sending it flying way back and off the chain.

"Hey. I didn't know you boxed." Came an all too familiar voice. I growled, turning around and scanning the empty gym. I caught sight of him over in the shadows.

"What do _you_ want?" I sneer, and his eyebrows perk up in surprise.

"You should be like this more often." he laughs, and begins walking over. "I didn't know you were so capable of beating the shit out of the girls."

"Whatever Blackstar. What do you want?"

"Whoa there. Someone's a little snappy this afternoon!" The blue haired boy laughs again, but is close enough to pat my head now. "You know, you're alright Maka. I don't get why you're so nice about all the crap we do to you if this is how you really feel." He mumbles, a hint of guilt clouding his features.

I roll my eyes, and walk past him towards another punching bag, bumping into his shoulder along the way.

"Hey Maka, slow down. Are you okay? Listen I'm sorry about everything. I was just mad at you." He grabs my arm, and I stop, but don't turn.

"Mad about what." I don't ask it, just state it with hate and anger seeping from every ounce of my words.

"After your parents divorce you stopped talking to me. I thought we were supposed to be best friends through it all. That was two years ago." He walked around to stare me in the eyes.

"You abandoned me when you got that bimbo girlfriend, Jacqueline, in grade 8. I wasn't exactly comfortable spilling all my secrets out." I say coldly, but his sad puppy dog eyes bore into mine.

"I really miss you, y'know. I know I've been a total jackass lately, but I'm sick of dealing with all these fake jerks, and I feel myself becoming one. I loved talking to you all hours of the day and holding your hand, knowing it wasn't romantically. You're like my little sister Maka. I love you like my own. Please.. Let me try to make you love me like your big brother again."

Where was this coming from?

* * *

**WHOO. Okay done! Love you all! 3**


	9. Chapter 9

**READ THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THIS! Hey guys! just a heads up, i replaced page 8 with chapter 8 rather than the authors note, so if you find yourself confused, go back a chapter. :) P.S Good news is things are looking better For me now! So updates should be better. :) enjoy.**

* * *

_Maka's POV_:

I remembered a time when he was my best friend. When he stuck by my side through everything. When people would make fun of me, he'd rationalize with them, tell them to back off. He was the upper figure I always needed in life, and he left me.

How could he just say "hey I miss you let's be friends again." And think everything would be okay!? The _nerve_ of that boy.

I stared into his passive forest green eyes with my own fiery grassy green. He gave me a weak smile, and I felt a little guilty.

I cast my eyes downwards to stare at my hands, and realized I was wearing a tank top. 'He's going to see them. Going to see them and tell everyone!' I tugged my arm away, and curled my fingers around obvious scars. He looked at where I placed my hand, and slowly slid it down to look at what I was hiding; maybe the panic in my eyes was obvious.

"I... Dropped my books on-" I tried, my anxiety taking control.

"Maka I know what those are." He said flatly, gazing at it intently. His hand went over top of it, and he grazed one of the scars on my right arm with his thumb. Without stopping, his eyes flicked up to mine.

"How long we're you watching for?" I asked in a softer voice.

"Long enough."

"Blackstar, we can't just be best friends again like that. I... I'm not even the same person." I say, timidly; the fact of my secret being out unnerving me.

"We'll get her back."

"I don't want to be her again." My monotonous answer came.

"Maka please! Just let me be your friend again. I know I shouldn't have left you. But I want to make things right before I lose you: for good. I know my priorities were wrong and I know that I put you aside. I don't mind working, I just want you back." He pleaded desperately, looking me in the eye the whole time.

"I...I'll try Blackstar. But we'll have to see. I'm not very good at accepting people anymore. I'm cold and stubborn and difficult."

"That's what makes you you. We'll be best friends again, don't worry Maka!" He grinned at me, and let go of my arm.

"A-alright Blackstar... We'll see." I gave him a half smile and started walking away towards the showers.

"Wait up!" He called, and ran up beside me. "I'm going on a hunting trip this weekend, and I really need a new gun. Will you join me to get one?" He asked evenly, staring me down as we walked the length space of the gym.

Hunting? Gun? Since when did he hunt? "Since when did you hunt?" I repeated my thoughts, looking up momentarily.

"A few years I guess. Sid said it was supposed to help with my focus and concentration. So far so good!" He quirked, turning his head forward again. "So, what do you say?"

"I guess so. I don't really have much else to do." Sheepishly answered, I scuffed my foot on the ground, as we were now at the other end of the gym.

"Okay! Meet me out front?" He said enthusiastically, and I nodded in response. I turned into the girl's change room, and he the boy's.

I walked in and mindlessly began changing and preparing for a shower, my thoughts thinking about the encounter I just had. 'Was Blackstar serious? Did he want to be friends again? Why now? Is it just a cruel joke they have started?' I thought, mostly negative ideas sprouting into my mind. But it was true... We didn't talk, and he mocked me constantly. I suppose there was the possibility that maybe he really wanted to be friends again. 'Ill just... Go with the flow I think.' I decided, surprisingly finishing my shower and changing back into my daily clothes in the mean time.

I quickly combed my hands through my hair and stepped out into the front entrance, where he was actually waiting.

His blue spikes were flattened, water dripping off each individual point. He smiled at me and waved me over, at which point he slung his arm around my shoulders in a bestfriend-ly embrace, with his gym bag hanging at his waist on the other side, and my own on the other side of where his body was as well. He led me over to where he was parked - his car being a black hummer. It suited him entirely.

"So tell me something." He announced, tossing his bag in the back and climbing into the drivers seat. I copied his actions and joined him up front.

"What's that?" I said curiously, tilting my head slightly.

"When are you going to beat up Liz and Kim?" He laughed after, but not in his typical annoying way.

"Oh. I'm not."

"What? Why not? You hate them, don't you? Why keep it in?" He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, driving down a road I did not recognize.

"Well that's stupid and irrational. I don't need to take my anger out on other people." 'Just on myself' I added in my head smugly.

"Well someone should put them in their place. And you're the only girl whose actually capable of doing so." I nodded my head and gazed out into the distance.

I could tolerate Blackstar, but this idea of being his bestfriend just didn't sit well. I felt like he would leave me again. What was the point in having faith in anyone anymore? How many times had I trusted, only to be walked all over and hurt? I turned my head and stared at him.

His hair was plastered to parts of his face. His jaw had become stronger and more defined; losing the childish look he always had. His green eyes were bright and happy - as always.

I tried to imagine him as I always had seen him: unattractive and stalky, short and annoying. But he seemed to have trained it out of himself.

I was so deep in thought, I didn't notice him glance over at me, wondering why I was staring.

"What's up Maka?" He asked, smirking slightly.

"Hm?" His voice brought me out of my daze, and I realized how weird the situation was. I turned away to the window, blushing.

"What were you thinking?" He adds with a short chuckle, watching me from the corner of his eye.

I looked back at him, surprised at his interest. I was also surprised with my immediate response, not a second thought about it.

"Why now?"

"Huh?" His eyebrows knit together in confusion, and he glanced at me again.

"Why did you decide to talk to me again now? You had all of two years to do that. So what's changed so suddenly for you to care about me again?" I say, watching the lines of the road fly under the car.

He doesn't say anything, and after a while, I presume he isn't going to say anything at all.

"Soul." His short answer comes, his jaw clenching and his eyes stay focused straight ahead on the road.

"What do you mean?" I ask, my interest in the subject rising.

"The way he talks about you... Maka he really loves you. And he cares so much! But I just - I don't trust him. I've seen him with other girls, and I don't want him hurting you. He will NOT hurt you. I swear, if he lays a finger on you without your permission, I will beat him into oblivion. I just... I don't know." He flicks his eyes to a different part of the road, turning his head and trying to hide his obvious blush.

I smile a little, happy for the protection I most likely always had. He was a jerk. He left me. He hurt me. But he was also helping me. I turned my head towards window, watching the landscape pass by, and very satisfied with his response.


	10. Chapter 10

**ACK! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. :* don't hate! I know my aint much, but life hates me and a deleted this chapter too many times to count. Sorry dears! :) enjoy ! **

* * *

_Maka's POV:_

The rest of the drive was filled with idle small talk, nothing overly interesting. We pulled into his hunting shop's parking lot a few minutes later and entered the building. The bell chimed above the door.

"Hey there Blackstar! How's it going?" the man at the desk asked. I tuned them out, too busy taking in the surroundings. There were rows and rows of guns stacked around the room, and multiple aisles.

Finished with the conversation, BlackStar went over to one, knowing exactly where and what he needed. I trailed after him, a little unnerved by all the firearms.

But then Blackstar brought me to what must have been heaven. It was like the angels sang. My steady pace faltered and I stopped to stare in amazement at the wall in front of me. He had continued without notice.

It was exhilarating though. 'Oh the damage I could do with that!' I thought, fingers delicately placed over the glass wall.

Knives. So many goddamn hunting knives. I wanted to touch them. I could tell how sharp they were. 'The bite you'd get from those...' I pictured the feeling of them, I imagined the high I'd get. I thought of all the blood I would be in... I thought -

"Maka? Where'd you go?" Blackstar asked, breaking my thoughts. I could tell he was a few aisles over, and I silently thanked god that he didn't realize what I was thinking.

"Over here! Sorry, I lost you!" I shouted, trotting in his direction. Trying to tear my gaze away from that aisle. I shook my head to try and remove the images, and caught up with BlackStar a few minutes later. I slipped my fingers through his, a little unnerved by my thoughts. I was starting to fear what I could do to myself.

I looked like a paranoid schizophrenic, glancing around me at everything here. So many sharp things. 'Don't look at them Maka!' I demanded, bringing myself to study Blackstar instead. His hair was nice and fluffy, sticking out in multiple directions. The blue was darker than I remembered though, and his face looked angrier; not so carefree anymore.

He looked older than he was; maybe into his early twenties. He was still pretty damn cocky - you could tell that from his walk. But he was much more relaxed now.

He must have sensed my distress because he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and tugged me behind him, 'til we stood in front of various types of traps.

I tried to distract myself, having seen the bear trap's large, metal, spiked teeth. I wanted to touch it so bad.

"Hey Bill!" Blackstar shouted out, calling the man over. He arrived instantly, and Blackstar gestured to the glass casing in front of him. "You mind opening her up?" Another short conversation was exchanged, but again I was distracted by that damn bear trap. It wasn't in a case or anything... It was on display... It looked so sharp.

Blackstar's hand shot out to stop mine; I hadn't even realized I had been reaching for one of the teeth. I looked at him like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The corner of his mouth tugged down, and his eyebrows furrowed together. He looked guilty.

He intertwined our fingers again and took me to the front, and told me to describe everything I saw on the counter while Bill rang up Blackstar's items. He was watching me closely, listening to everything I said like it was the presidents speech.

We left a little while after and climbed back into his car. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the seat in frustration.

"I'm sorry -"

"I shouldn't have taken you in there, I'm sorry Maka. I didn't think. Don't be sorry, you've done nothing wrong love." He said, having opened his green eyes and staring at me intently. I looked at him dully, feeling my emotions and excitement receding, leaving me with that feeling of nothing.

I just smiled lazily in response, before he drove off towards my apartment. It was silent; he seemed to be seriously guilty.

I didn't say anything though, just stared out the window and wallowed in what I had come to describe as depression.

* * *

I guess I had dozed off because by the time we were at my house it seemed like 5 minutes had gone by, when the drive was at least 45 minutes. He parked and walked out to my door with me; this was starting to feel like a date.

His eyes locked onto a pigtail and he started mindlessly twirling it in his fingers, seemingly in deep thought.

"I'd like to hang out with you, or at least see you again Maks." He muttered, shortening my already short name.

"Okay." I whispered back shyly, staring into his eyes with my large olive ones. He finally made eye contact with me and smiled gently. A chaste kiss was placed on my forehead, and he turned and left without so much as a goodbye.

Okay, that got a little relationship-y for me. Is it ignorant to assume he's in love with me...? He had certainly given me something to think about. I watched him drive out before I entered the building and made my way over to the designated room. I unlocked the door, and locked back up.

I noticed I had been out pretty late, it already being 8. I had missed dinner... 'I hope Soul isn't angry...' I thought absently before flicking on the living room light. I yelped in surprise.

"Soul, what the hell are you doing! Jesus Christ, you scared me!l

He had been sitting on the couch staring at the powerless television. His white hair had caught my eye, and for a moment I had thought it was a stranger.

He stood up stiffly, and walked over to me swiftly. He looked pissed off.

He towered over me in an intimidating matter, and his breathing was laboured, telling me he was more than pissed.

"Do you have any idea how goddamn worried I was!" He shouted, fear clouding his eyes. "I called you like 8 times! And why the fuck were you with Blackstar!" He started pacing angrily, ranting to himself rather than talking to me.

I continued to stare at him wide eyed, and when he noticed this, he stopped his pace and strode over. His large hands gripped the sides of my head firmly, and he kissed me.

He pulled back to look into my eyes, and after leaving a kiss of his own on my forehead, whispered,

"You're mine. You're mine and I love you.

I wasn't supposed to have heard that.


	11. Chapter 11

**If anyone has forgotten, recall I mentioned it'd been six days since Maka cut last a couple chapters ago. :) Also, I apologize if it is overly obvious that my thoughts are all over the place. enjoy my lovelies! :***

* * *

_Maka's_ POV:

'But Blackstar said he was like my brother.. It's wrong to fall in love with your theoretical baby sister... But Soul, and... UGH!' I thought, trying ever so desperately to sort my brain out.

I didn't know if I had feelings for Blackstar, that was the problem. I didn't even know if he had feelings for me! 'But I know I love Soul, and he me. Except I'm hurting Kim, even though she DID hurt me...'

I was sitting in the bathroom, ready to go for a 'shower' with multiple destructive devices laying around me.

It had been 8 days since my night out with Blackstar and Soul's apparent possessive nature for me. Oddly enough I didn't mind it though.

I hadn't been eating well lately; So I fricken _gorged_ myself at dinner tonight! I wondered how much I weighed... I felt so sick though. So fricken nauseous.

"Well... It made 'Baki feel better... So why not me?" I whispered quietly, justifying my next actions.

I crawled over to the toilet and slipped my finger in my mouth and pressed down on my gag reflex. It worked. Immediately. Portions of my meal came out, still yet to be digested entirely.

Tears came to my eyes for some reason, but I finished up quickly and went to wash my hands RIGHT after. It was disgusting, after all.

However, I knew enough not to brush my teeth after, because that would just wear down my enamel and I would have ugly teeth in no time.

Instead, I grabbed the glass of water with baking soda in it and quickly chugged it. (I secretly loved the taste)

I felt good, surprisingly. Cutting seemed so overrated. I didn't have a high, but I certainly didn't have any more cravings, and I didn't feel like I was a glass doll slowly cracking. I was... _Okay_.

I smiled at myself. A little proud, as sick as it was. Maybe I didn't need to have scars anymore, maybe I could stop cutting...

I climbed into the shower after removing my clothing, and let it rinse away dirt and grime while I stood and stared at the wall. I was thinking, thinking about what I had done. It didn't seem wrong in anyway whatsoever... I didn't understand.

I shrugged it off and slipped into some jammies, exiting the bathroom and heading straight for my room. I was tired as hell.

I climbed under the covers and started to doze off when I heard my door click open, then close, and a weight added to my bed.

I turned around to stare into the red irises presented to me. The light was glinting off them in a beautiful manner. Soul.

He stoked my hair and gently smiled.

"Go to sleep, beautiful." He whispered, and wrapped an arm around my waist before snuggling into the blankets with me.

"I love you." He said later.

"I love you too..." I mumbled, half asleep. I'm not even sure if I said that.

* * *

Later I realized why it felt so good to have puked up my dinner. Because it was destructive, and harmful. I didn't do it everyday though. Oh no, I had my beautiful teeth to take care of. But, I could last for _days_ on it without feeling the need to hurt myself again. It definitely seemed like a better idea than cutting.

No blade had touched me in two weeks, and my life certainly didn't get easier. It was strange, going from thinking about it all the time to hardly at all. I didn't _need_ to cut!

I laughed in excitement at this revelation from my bed. It was time to wake up though and get ready for school, so I settled down and did just that.

I noticed the house was quieter. I didn't have to call Soul's name to realize he wasn't in. 'I suppose he went to school early?' I presumed, but that seemed highly doubtful. Soul never went in early.

I shrugged it off and prepared a simple breakfast of Cheerios before taking off for school. I thought of how Blackstar had been these past eight days, and how Soul has been. I certainly was getting a lot of attention from the competing boys, and although everyone else at school still hated me, being a person of interest of the two most popular guys in school definitely lowered confrontations.

Blackstar would do things that'd annoy me, and he would guide me protectively with his hand. I usually scolded him because my body had become my.. Place of practice, if you will, and it seemed damaging and tainting to let others come in contact with it. Seems kind of stuck up, now that I think of it.

Regardless of my constant irritation, he wasn't someone I wanted to lose right away, although I wasn't putting any effort into the friendship. I didn't deserve the care, although having him mother hen me all the time made me angry. And very much so. I had learned to appreciate my isolation, and people parading into it made me... Less than sane.

Soul on the other hand, always needed a hand on me. But this I didn't mind. He acted like we were a couple in public and out of, yet he had neglected to make anything official. Small kisses on the cheek, and arms protectively slung around me told everyone else I was his.

However he knew I didn't kiss people in public, so we reserved that for hot steamy make out sessions at night. I was reveling in Souls attention, and despising Blackstar's. 'But if he gets this much of a reaction out of you, you must care about him, right?' I reasoned, so torn on this.

My decision would always be Soul, but something about the idea of Blackstar liking me didn't have me pushing him away, unlike most people. Don't get me wrong, I am and was greatly hated, but that didn't mean guys didn't like me. My solitude seemed to be an attraction to them, actually, because of the obvious fact I didn't have a girl army to kill them with if they did wrong.

All of this thinking was stopped once I arrived on the school grounds and was so rudely interrupted of my ponderous mind by shouts of rage and a crowd encouraging two male individuals to fight.

On most circumstances I would have ignored them, but this particular fight just so happened to be on my way towards the doors, so I figured why not see what's up on my way inside.

Fluffed up hair of white and blue was NOT what I wanted to see, especially when it was distinguished I was the topic of this fight.

"You know I fucking love her, 'star. What the hell do you think you're doing, when not three weeks ago you laughed in my face for it!? You can't just leap into her life when I'm trying to sort things out with her!" Soul screamed dangerously close to Blackstars red face.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want, and so can she!" He retaliated, swift to pull the 'freedom' card. "Quit acting like you own her, when you haven't even asked her to be your girlfriend yet." Soul's hand clenched in pure fury.

"That's none of your business, fuckwad. Besides, you think prying yourself into her life will help you, or her for that matter!? At least she enjoys my company. After she hangs out with you she comes home and tells me all about your annoying antics. You'll never change."

"She needs someone to save her god damn it! Why can't you see that?"

"Save her from what, exactly!?" Soul screamed back, rage growing immensely. Before Blackstar replied, my attention was pulled when I heard someone mutter,

"Oh shit!" To my left. I looked over to see a boy whispering to his friends and pointing at me. Quickly the news spread around the circle, and the chants of "fight!" Died down. Two sentences were exchanged between the two boys before they realized the change in atmosphere.

"She fucking cuts herself, asshole!" Blackstar shouted, making my body go rigid. How the _fuck_ could he announce that with an audience present! I fumed, making note to slap him.

"I know!" Soul shouted back, and all anger dissipated in the area, except mine that is. The boys huffed, catching their breath as what was said soaked in. In their silence, they glanced around to see the quiet crowd had parted to show me, standing there with books in hand, ready to blow a fuse.

The itch to hit something arose, and I strode over to slap Blackstar, my anger at him being stronger. I eyed Soul wearily before flipping on my heel and storming off into class.

"Maka, wait!" Soul called, literally sprinting after me. He grabbed my arm, and I recoiled reflexively. He pulled me to the side of the currently empty hall, and caught his breath. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, and I'm sorry to have kept it a secret that I knew. I was waiting for you to come forward with it. I know what it's like to feel pressured into telling secrets." He rushed out, and I didn't notice him rolling his sleeves up. "I know why you do it, and why you like it, and how _fucking_ hard it is to stop, and how goddamn _amazing_ it feels! I know Maka." He nodded his head down towards his exposed forearms, gesturing for me to take a peek.

I stared in pure awe, entrancement, and bafflement. There, staining his wrist, were rows of red and white scars, just like mine. They were beautiful; to me at least. It meant we were the same; it meant he understood.


	12. Chapter 12

_Maka_

I gently traced the ragged skin that was presented to me; entranced by the lovely designs, my books long forgotten on the floor behind us. Soul looked down on me, smiling sadly.

"Why Soul?" I said, voice barely above a whisper. I tore my gaze from the marred surface to look into ruby orbs.

"'Cause. I donno..." He muttered, obviously uncomfortable under my stare. He gently slipped his arms away from my lingering hands and tugged the sleeves down, stuffing his hands into his pockets. I stared blankly at him, expecting an explanation.

I sighed after realizing I wouldn't get a reply, and walked into him. Knowing what I wanted, he draped his arms around me carefully, tucking me into his chest.

"I don't get it." I mutter, clutching the fabric of his hoodie loosely.

"What's that?" He hummed, dipping his face into my hair.

"What... _We_... Are. I mean... BlackStar said it: we aren't even together. But we act like a couple... And you hardly even let another guy talk to me - not that I mind. Do you want to be with me? Or not?... I just... I don't get it." I announce, keeping my face in his sweater.

"Hey hey hey. Maka." He said, trying to see my face. I ducked away. "Maka." He said again, pushing away slightly to get a better look at me. "Maka, look at me." He commanded gently, pushing his fingers under my chin to look at me properly. "I _do_ really like you. And I.. I realize I haven't made anything official yet. And I know I'm being a jackass by leading you on and not doing anything about it... But I... I have things going on in my life that I'm trying desperately to sort through, and I seriously don't want you involved. It's... Difficult. And dangerous. Soon though, okay?" He had removed his hand from my chin and began stroking my hair, soothing it down as though it were his worries.

I pushed back from him, and I noticed the flicker of rejection cross his face. But I smiled warmly at him and nodded, letting him know I understood, and that I would wait.

"So how about we get to class? Albarn... Eater." Ox demanded, standing in front of us and absolutely shattering our moment. I glared daggers at him.

"God Ox! You're so nosy. Get out of here!" I screamed, trotting in his face and practically throwing a temper tantrum in my angry fit.

"Cool it, Albarn! I just wanna get into my classroom. Y'know.. The one you're standing in front of?" He gestured to the doorway we stood in front of, and my face heated accordingly to my embarrassment. I stepped back, clutching Soul tightly and pulling him back with me.

I looked down to where my books lay, and suddenly remembered how I needed to get to class. Maka Albarn? Skipping class? The thought was unheard of!

"Oh no! Soul, it's already 7:58! Class starts in two minutes! C'mon!" I shouted, plucking my books from the floor and rushing towards my classroom with Soul in tow.

"Uh... Hey Maka?" Soul asked, stumbling after me.

"Not now Soul! We're gonna be late!" I screamed, tugging him along farther.

"Maka... I have -"

"Soul stop talking and hurry!"

"Maka I have a different class than you first period!" He shouted, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Goddamn it! Then go already!" I herded him towards his class before slipping into my own classroom just as the bell rang.

"Good to see you could make it, Maka." The teacher nodded in my direction, and I smiled sheepishly, taking my seat. _Phew. That was a little_ too _close_! I thought idly.

The teacher started talking, but I had no idea what she was saying.

* * *

The day felt short, I realized later when I was walking home. I was horribly pissed off at Blackstar, and because of him everyone was giving me pity glances or annoyed glares. Some people actually made an effort to talk to me, although I don't know why. If I knew some psycho liked to mutilate herself, I'd "steer clear of crazy-ville!"

And then Kid - of all people! - asked me for a pencil in third period, then he _smiled_ at me. Excuse my language, but it was fuckin' weird.

In the past, Kid would ask everyone except me for things. He would go out of his way to exclude me from group projects, and if I ever so much as requested to _use_ his pencil, he glared at me and scowled the whole time.

Everyone else was more or less nice, not overly different, but different all the same.

Maybe two popular guys liking me had to do with it. I didn't know, and I didn't have much time to give it thought before my stomach so rudely interrupted.

I hadn't eaten all day, and I was paying for it. The cramps that twisted and turned in my stomach at this moment made me double over, nearly dropping my books. _Keep it together Maka_. It was a sharp, piercing pain that was felt just beneath my ribs. I had to stay hunched over for a few moments before it subsided and I could continue my walk.

Soul would have joined me, but once again, Professor Stein had called him aside after class. Apparently he had a detention. At first I was bummed, but how I was quite relieved that he didn't have to see me like this.

When I got home, I immediately started up dinner. Although I wasn't hungry, I knew Soul would be, and I also realized he would be suspicious if I didn't eat. Dammit. _I'll make a stir fry: that's not too much food._

I pulled out a pan and threw some chicken in it while I began chopping some vegetables. I nibbled on the extra red pepper while I put the rest of the vegetables with the noodles into another pan. Flip the chicken, move the vegetables. Blah blah blah.

I went to take another bite of my pepper when I bit my finger. _Ow_. I hadn't realized I was eating so fast, so I went into the fridge and grabbed a head of lettuce. I just felt compelled to eat it, even though it was kind of strange to eat on it's own.

I was getting bored waiting for the food to cook, so I walked over and flicked the TV on, scrolling through the channels as I chomped on my lettuce. It wasn't long before that was finished too.

Back in the fridge, I had some cheese, an apple and some other random bits of good here and there. I flipped the chicken and pushed the vegetables around before grabbing some ham and a loaf of bread. By the time I had finished that, the food was finished and I had just completed plating it when Soul walked in.

"Hey babe. I'm back!" He called from the entrance, and I peeked out from the kitchen to see him hanging his coat up. He wasn't facing me, but something in the slouch of his shoulders was off.

"Hey." I said cautiously, walking towards him slowly. He turned around when I reached him and his face looked very glum. He smiled forcibly at me and pulled me onto a tight hug. "Soul? Is everything okay?" I asked while drawing circles into his neck.

"Mmm." He hummed in response, not really acknowledging the question. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and let me go, walking into the kitchen. "Ooh. What's that smell? My mouth is watering already!"

He made a beeline for the plates nicely set out, and I could only look at him strangely before joining him. We ate quickly with short conversation, and then I made him clean up.

"Hey Maka, what happened to all our food? Was Blackstar here?" Soul asked as he was digging in the fridge for a beer.

"No? What do you mean? We have tons of f- oh." I looked in the fridge and saw at least half of it gone. When I looked down at my stomach, it was bloated, and suddenly all the guilt from eating so much food washed over me. I _knew_ I wasn't fat, but some weird compulsion in my brain told me I was disgusting, that I was gross.

Embarrassed, I quickly lied. "Oh right. No, alot of it had gone bad so I took it out to the garbage." He nodded absently before popping the cap off his drink and settling on the couch. "I...I've gotta shower though. I'll see you in a bit okay?"

Smiling, he turned back to look at me. "Yeah sure. Hurry okay?" I nodded and scurried off to the bathroom.

Once I had locked the door, I practically through myself onto the toilet, purging out as much of the food as I could. I made sure to start the shower first though, so my hacking and choking couldn't be heard through the thin walls. With no baking soda to gurgle, I swallowed some water from the tap and swished it around before spitting it out.

That same, tearing numbness settled inside of me as though I had been cutting, and I just stared into my eyes for some amount of time.

"Maka, hurry up will ya? You've been in there for 20 minutes!" Soul hollered, banging on the door. I jolted, startled and kind of panicked that I hadn't even started my shower. I quickly stripped and leapt into the water, basically just rinsing off.

Dressing quickly, I joined Soul on the couch to cuddle, and soon I began to doze off. However, again my stomach so rudely interrupted, grumbling loudly at it deprive state.

"Hungry still?" Soul chuckled, poking my belly and tickling me. "We just ate! I think I know where all the food went now!" He laughed, joking obviously, before pulled my into his arms even closer.

I didn't reply, but his last statement left me feeling highly self-conscious.


	13. Chapter 13

_Maka_

The couch seemed too small now, with Soul sprawled out on it and me wedged into the corner. He had turned on a game, so I pulled out a book and tuned him out.

However, every few minutes he would sigh loudly, and when I would look over, all that could be seen was pure depression. I knew he was in a bad mood, but I was getting seriously agitated. The next time he sighed, I snapped,

"Kay, seriously Soul?" I didn't look him in the eye, just stared straight ahead, trying to tone my glare down. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see he was staring at me in curiosity, but most of his mind seemed elsewhere.

"Hm?"

"Is there something on your mind? You seem kind of down. Like, seriously down." I turned to look at him, and his expression smoothed down all my anger. He looked dull, exhausted. Entirely drained, like how I looked on my worst days.

"I uh... I don't know. Stein gave me hell at DT and called my... _Parents_." He sneered the title, and I noticed his grip on the controller clench slightly.

"What's so bad about that? Why did you even have detention?" I set my book down and turned to face him, his feet in my lap.

Dropping the controller to the ground, he pinched the bridge of his nose before swiping his head across his forehead in a stressed manor.

"You don't understand Maka. My parents are _assholes_." Thinking on it now, what did I really know about Soul's personal life? I claimed to be in love with him, but how can you love what you don't even know? "I just... I don't know. I don't wanna talk about them. Stein was just being a prick. I'm certain he has it out for me." Soul continued, pushing up into a sitting position; his back against the arm rest, and his feet still in my arms.

"Professor Stein isn't like that Soul! I'm sure you did something."

"I wasn't listening when he started bitching at me. I don't know, maybe that assignment I didn't hand in the other day. I think he just -"

"Wait, what? Soul, I _watched_ you do that paper. It was better than mine! Why didn't you hand it in?" I jolted upright, both surprised and annoyed at his negligence.

Silence answered my question. He turned back to his game and curled his feet into himself, away from me. I was substantially confused.

"Soul. Don't ignore me!" I threw my book at him, hitting his head.

"Ow! Jesus Maka, relax. It isn't a big deal. Let's just drop it, please?" His glaring red eyes reflected my way, pleading and annoyed at the same time. Why was he pushing me away?

"Okay." I replied, meekly. I was highly embarrassed now; eating all our food and now upsetting Soul. Folding my hands in my lap, I curled up trying to take up as little space as possible.

"Stein talked to me about something else too; we've gotta start doing missions. I picked one up, it's in my coat pocket if you wanna see." I couldn't help but think he was angry with me by his tone. He was being abnormally cold, and I felt very shunned all of a sudden.

A big fat wave of depression came tumbling my way, and I just wanted to melt into the couch.

"Kay..." I mumble dully, getting up and going to see the mission: any excuse to get out of the now tense situation.

I had just retrieved the mission from his pocket when his phone went off.

"H'lo?" He asked, bored. Quiet murmuring and squeaking was heard from the other side before he nodded his head to himself. "Yeah I guess. Be there in a few." He got up and advanced towards me, reaching for his leather jacket that rested in my hands.

Confused, I stared at him in question, too embarrassed to ask. He seemed to be ignoring me; was he really that mad?

"I'm goin' out. 'Star wants to chat." Again, his voice was flat and cold, making my shoulders hunch and face drop. I immediately handed him his jacket before nodding stiffly.

"I uh... I'll be back soon okay? Be safe, I'll miss you." A quick kiss on the cheek and he was gone.

There was nothing to do, and the dark, empty house made my depression tenfold. Cravings crawled into the back of my mind, and I couldn't help but think that I _could_ do it. I should do it, but I wouldn't. I couldn't throw my two weeks of abstinence away because of one bad day! I'd been feeling pretty good lately. That would be plain weak!

So I sat on the couch and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Obviously, I was reading, but I was getting anxious; it now pressing onto 1 o'clock. I could hardly keep my eyes open, and again I started dozing.

It seemed that I needed so much sleep, when really I hardly did anything that would require so much sleep. A strange thing, of you ask me.

Soul had left the television on, and I could feel it flickering against my eyelids. I wasn't sure if I drifted in and out of consciousness, but when I heard the door click open and closed I was surprised.

At first, I thought I had imagined it in my half-dream half-awake state. And then when I heard the lamp at the front door fall over and break, accompanied by an,

"oh shit," I knew he was home.

Cracking my eyes open, I looked about the room to see him picking up the lamp.

"Soul, what the hell are you doing?" I rasped out, my voice coated with sleep. He turned the hallway light on, and I was momentarily blinded.

"Whu- what? Why are youu still upp!" He popped the p loudly, his speech slurred.

"Soul! Are you drunk?" Storming up to him, I no longer saw that gloomy expression, but instead a curious flint and a mischievous smirk.

"I missed youu baabyy!" His arms slithered around my waist and he pushed his face close to mine; foreheads touching. His breath reeked.

"Ah. Interesting." I slid out of his arms, suddenly angry as all hell. He made me wait up til three in the morning, promising he would be home soon! He came gone drunk on top of that, and right after storming out from a temper tantrum.

He didn't catch on.

"Oh, did you read that mission thing! I mean, I thought it sounded kinda cool. _Baby slayer_! Which is weird to me, because he doesn't slay babies, he is a baby! Or baby sized at least. Haha! Cute..." Again, he grabbed me by the waist and hugged me close. But a frown made its way onto his face, and suddenly that sadness was back. "My parents wanna see me this weekend. They say they wanna meet you. Do you wanna meet them? I wouldn't if I were you... I don't know. Do I have to go?" Whining, now, and I hadn't realized I began hugging him back.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow when you're sober." I dragged him towards his room, removing his top layers of clothing and tucking him in.

He pulled me in close beside him, hands drifting up my top.

"Soul." I growled, unmoving and hoping he'd stop. His hand drifted back down, and his fingers danced on my torso lightly. Palm over my belly button, and fingertips just reaching my ribs, he finally stopped moving and settled down.

"I'm sorry I upset you earlier." He mumbled, sleep heavy on his tone. "I got into a fight with Blackstar, the teacher and my parents in one day; ha! Only I could manage, right?" Grumbling under his breath, he sagged into the comfort of his mattress. "I really hate them, you know. I used to think getting hit was the worst part. It's not."

My eyes widened substantially, my fingers tightly clutching the sheets. No... Was he beaten? I never noticed anything before...

"What do you mean Soul?" I could hear the distress in my response, and I hoped he was far enough gone not to notice himself.

Soft snores answered my question. It was too late; he was already asleep.

* * *

**A/N: WHOO! Look at you lucky ducks! Two chapters in a Row! :)) I'll do my best to keep this up, but I had to read everyone's reviews over again just to motivate myself. I apologize for my lack of presence, and I Am just thankful you guys gimme time to critique. It really helps :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys. I apologize for my absence. Here's your chapter, 3243 words long! See notes at the bottom for any additional information you are looking for. Enjoy. **

* * *

_Maka_

The next morning was awkward, to say the least. I don't think he remembered anything from the night before, which means he doesn't remember us making up.

Or maybe I was misreading his body language, and he was still down. It was confusing, and again that annoying, tense atmosphere came rumbling in.

"So uhm... Our mission is tonight y'know." I said, walking up to him at the kitchen table and placing his eggs in front of him.

"Yeah I know." His curt response came while his eyes stared down at his meal, unwavering.

"Do we... Have a strategy... Or something?" I asked, forming my words slowly and uncomfortably. "I mean... We haven't even resonated or anything..." I trailed off as he stayed fixated in the same place.

Slowly, his hand came up to grasp his fork and he started to eat his food. Realization seemed to dawn on him as he looked up.

"Where's your food?" He questioned, gesturing to my empty place mat.

"Oh, I ate before you were up." I said, lying again. Damn, I lie a lot. I thought absently as I watched him nod and return to his food. "I have my additional evening classes today, so I'll be done around eight. Wanna go after that?" I asked, being the subject back to the mission.

The response I got was a shrug and a blank face that still stared down at his meal. Annoyed, I snapped at him slightly.

"Kay, well I'm going to school now. I'll see you later, or something." I rose from my seat and strode over to my bag and books, walking out the door before he had time to respond. I thought I had heard a faint, 'Maka wait!' But I paid no mind to that, and continued my angry stomping down the sidewalk to school.

* * *

During class, I began nodding off due to my lack of sleep. White fuzz was all my brain could hear in it's delirious state, and my eyes drooped almost painfully.

The idea that sleep was a blink away if I wanted it was so alluring that I'm certain I had fallen asleep, for when I was aware again, class was over.

Most of my other classes were the same, and again I was bully-free. I didn't understand the sudden cease in torments, but there was no way I was complaining, or even questioning it.

When I got to fourth period, rested comfortably due to my naps, I caught sight of a perky Soul chatting with all his pals. I growled quietly in the back of my throat and took my seat a few desks ahead of them, still angry at him for his sulking.

When Ox walked in to take his seat beside me, Soul nearly shouted at him in excitement.

"Hey Ox! Why don't we switch seats today? Yeah! K sick." He said all in one breath, receiving no confirmation from the balding kid. He vaulted over his seat and plopped down right beside right in front of Ox.

Rolling his eyes, he sighed loudly and mumbled under his breath,

"Fuckin' couples, man."

"Hey babe!" Soul exclaimed, ignoring Ox's comment and kissing my cheek. I smiled lopsidedly at him, not certain of this mood shift.

Stein walked in and called the attention to the front of the class as he began to teach. Today was a briefing on Soul Resonance, something Soul and I had yet to do, so I jotted down nearly everything he said.

I wouldn't admit it, but I was beginning to get nervous about our mission tonight. I felt queasy, and I wasn't sure if that was from the lack of food or my nerves.

Light tapping started to my right, and I looked over to see Soul strumming his fingers repetitively on his desk, his head slumped into his hand.

My thoughts trailed off when I could just see the tip of his scars as his sleeve slid down slightly. I couldn't help but stare at the darker skin; still healing. It couldn't have been that long ago that he stopped, according to the light to dark pink that colored his wrists.

All the lines were different directions, but none deep enough to lump up a lot, like mine. They were bad, but not horrible. Not like mine would be. I just wish I had known, maybe I could have -

Red eyes stared into mine curiously, wondering what the hell I was doing. I was caught into them for a moment, not able to look away from the initial shock of being caught staring. I felt my face heating up in a blush, and in response, Soul smirked and raised an eyebrow curiously amused by my embarrassment. I ducked my head away with a quiet, "Sorry," and pretended to focus on my notes. He kept staring, chuckling lightly to himself before turning away with a shrug and smiling stupidly to himself.

God he was adorable.

* * *

Finally, after a whole ten hours of school I was out and done -ready to go. It was about seven o' clock, and the sun was beginning to set, spreading a pink-orange hue over everything.

Walking back to the apartment, I couldn't help the skip in my step. I was excited for this mission, despite my anxiety from earlier, and despite Soul being a Debby Downer. This is what my mother did, and she made one of the greatest death scythes ever; even if it was my stupid dad. I wanted to make her proud, and absently, I hoped that when I achieved that goal, she'd come back.

Walking up to the door now, I pulled out my keys and twisted them in the knob, letting the door away open. What it opened to however, was quite a site.

Blankets and pillows lay strewn about all over the living room. The front tables were knocked over and books and games were scattered around the floor; I nearly tripped on one. It looked as though someone had broken in, but I knew that to be false when I'm toe rolled an empty beer bottle.

Not again. I thought angrily, prepared to rip into Soul for getting drunk AGAIN.

A groan from the couch had my attention, and I whirled to see a lump moving beneath a pile of blankets. A mumble of,

"Maka?" came from the body on the couch, and I stomped over aggressively, ready to slap this kid silly.

However, when I pulled the blanket off, white hair isn't what I found. Blue spikes poked around messily, and glazed, green eyes stared at me blankly.

"Black star!? What the hell are you doing here?" I asked incredulously, gesturing wildly.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He pushed his fingers to my lips, and slowly pulled himself upright. One of his hands found his head, and he rubbed his temple. "You're too loud." He rasped out, glancing up at my with tired eyes.

"What are you doing here? Where's Soul?" I whispered harshly.

"Fastest cure for a hangover is to drink even more!" He winked at me, his voice still hushed. He took a swig from a bottle that I hadn't noticed before.

"Okay... Well where is -" the bathroom door gently opened to reveal a steamy Soul, stepping out of the room in only a towel, wrapped snugly around his waist. For a minute, I couldn't take my eyes away, (he had the V! The muscles just above the hips and OHMIGOD) and I was totally caught.

"Like what you're seeing babe?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before taking note of Blackstar, thankfully missing my blush. "Aw c'mon man! You're still here!? I thought you said you were gonna clean this shit up?"

"Uggghhhh you guys are so loud, I'm outta here." Blackstar groaned out, hands clasping his head tightly. When he got up, he nearly fell over, and I could only wonder how much this kid had had to drink in the past 24 hours. "Whoa! Hey there little lamp. Just settle down mate. C'mon, it's okay. No one's judging you here!" He stammered out after bumping into our lamp - the same one Soul knocked over just last night.

The door was jerked open harshly, and Blackstar continued to move in jerky, staggered steps away from us.

"Was it a good idea to let him leave?" I ask, turning to Soul.

"Eh. Probably not. No worries, he'll get hit by a car and then maybe we'll finally have some food to eat." He grinned mischievously before bumping me on the shoulder. "You ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I'm good." Anxious again, I tried to decide if I really was good.

Soul's hands came up to grip my waist, and he snuggled into my shoulder before giving it a dry kiss.

"Be back in a sec."

He ran off towards his bedroom, and nausea hit me like a brick wall. I took careful steps to the couch, where I say down and rested my head in my hands, trying to take deep breaths. My fingers and arms trembled with all the effort I made to stay in control, and I'm sure i pulled put some of my hair in the process.

The ground seemed to be in front of me one minute, then like ten feet away after. I had to close my eyes, and very slowly, the spinning in my head ceased. I kept my eyes shut and my hands on my head, trying to find something to ground me.

"Maka?" Soul's voice wandered on before he did. "Maka, hey! Are you alright?" He dashed over, crouching in front of my and gently holding my elbows. "Hey hey. I'm right here. Look at me." He instructed, giving me a quick assuring squeeze.

The world swayed slightly for a minute before those familiar rubies came into sight.

"Are you sure you wanna do this? We can wait til tomorrow." He prodded, trying to comfort me.

"No we can't. It'll take so long to track his whereabouts again, and he's always moving. C'mon, it's no biggy, I'm just a little nervous." I stood up swiftly for emphasis, but tried my very best to hide the vertigo once again.

He stared at me skeptically for a moment before rising with me and taking my hand in his.

"So, my bike?" He asked, smiling sheepishly. I shrugged, letting him tow me to his 'favorite girl.'

He climbed on, and after he adjusted, I mounted as well, clasping my hands together around his waist.

"Ready?" He called, before tearing off into the street, giving me no warning whatsoever. I shouted before clutching tightly to him and pressing my cheek to his back. I could feel the rumble of his laughter; that dick.

* * *

Weaving through traffic and speeding half the time got us at our approximated location within 15 minutes - a usual 30 minute drive.

"Lord Death said this was the Baby Slayers last known location, right?" Soul asked, glancing around skeptically.

"A graveyard, hey? How much more cliché could you get?" I mumbled under my breath, glancing between the tombstones. "Yeah, this is where he was last seen. I'll check if I can sense his soul around here at all."

Shutting my eyes, I focused all my energy into searching for that little orb of light. First, I felt mine, actively pulsing. And soon after that I felt Soul's. I felt a flicker of something, but I wasn't sure if it was right, so I forced myself to concentrate further. I could sense streaks of red dancing around us, but there was no way he was moving that fast.

"Maka? You find him?" Soul asked, kicking a rock with his toe.

"SOUL! Lookout!" I shouted, diving for him instantly. I knocked him away, and a shadow flashed past him before clamping down onto my arm hard and biting.

I screamed, startled, and tried to shake the strange creature off. I felt the strangely sharp teeth sink further into my flesh until he had punctured it, bringing forth pain. I gasped, shaking my arm wildly and trying to push it off. I felt myself going into hysterics as I gasped and panicked, not sure what to do with myself.

Blood splattered all over my face as the arm of a scythe was driven through the small creature. The grasp it had on my arm went slack, and I was finally released. I staggered backwards away from it, and held my arm protectively to myself. My eyes stated fixed on the thing, waiting for it to make another move.

Clearly annoyed, Soul walked over and held out his hand to me.

"Let me see your arm." He demanded, gesturing to the bleeding mess it was becoming. Pulling me to my feet first, he gently grabbed me by the elbow, and just hovered over the teeth marks. Myself, too shocked to pay attention, sill had my eyes on the creature.

It looked like an insect, with its nubby legs and hard exterior. Sharp fangs hung from the open mouth and the beady black eyes stared blankly straight ahead.

"-not that bad. Lets get back home and we can patch you up, alright?" He suggested, just as I came back to reality.

"Yeah sure, lets -," but before I could continue, I froze, surprise and adrenaline bumping through me. "Don't. Move." I said through gritted teeth, clutching his jacket tightly.

The body was gone, and it wasn't replaced by the usual red glowing soul. Oh no. It was two glowing yellow eyes, glaring at us from a massive height. In its hand was the insect's carcass, and the other had long, thick claws pawing at the ground.

Rising to its hind legs, a deep, resounding growl bounced around us, and it was then that Soul realized there was something behind him. His eyes widened, and his grip on me tightened.

"What the hell is that." He asked, murmuring quietly, refusing to move a muscle.

The mouth of the... Thing... Stretched substantially in a cruel grin, sharp teeth exposed, ear to ear. A long, pointed tongue slicked out over the canines.

Without warning, it opened its mouth and sunk its teeth into the insect. Using a sucking motion, he drew the life force from the body, and, I realized as the bug's torso went into a spasm, that it was still alive.

"I think that that is the baby slayer." I muttered back to Soul, slowly raising my arm and pointing to the creature.

Turning cautiously, Soul saw the horrific image I did. Blood and drool dribbled down its chin and a sickening crunching was heard as his teeth ground into the shell.

Now limp and drained, the slayer tossed the corpse carelessly to his side and averted his attention to us. Dropping to his front legs, his clawed hands clinked on the ground as he advanced towards us.

In pure shock, I stared wide eyes and motionless as he lowered his head to Soul and I.

"On your call Maka." Soul ground out, trying to stay calm. I heard his knuckles crack as he flexed, but all I could focus on was my own reflection in its yellow eyes.

The creature huffed a few times in what seemed like a sniff. Was it smelling us? It licked its lips and grinned widely again, as if telling me I'd be delicious.

"Maka. Lets go already!" It's maw opened widely, strings of bloody saliva connecting its teeth. I felt consumed by it already, even though it had yet to chomp down.

"For fuck's sake Maka!" Soul shouted, and a moment later I heard its jaw snap shut and a force throw me to the ground. Stars came into my vision, and I stared above at the night sky, still shocked. I glanced down to see Soul laying on top of me and the animal, pissed, noticing its missing prey.

And as if instantly, everything clicked and I was up and ready.

"Soul! Now!" I shouted, holding my hand out expectantly. Without question, he clasped his hand in mine and a blue-white glow took over the graveyard as he transformed. A weight was added to my arm, but it was entirely comfortable. Looking over, I took a moment to admire his blade before I snapped back to our target.

Now snarling and growling, the creature pulled back on its hind legs, ready to spring.

"Baby Slayer! Your soul is mine!" I shouted, going into a defensive stance, waiting for its move.

And move it did. Springing into the air at an incredible speed, it raced around Soul and I, just playing with us. Closing my eyes, I focused my soul perception on it, and I realized this was the streaks of red I couldn't get a lock on earlier.

Timing it just right, I stuck the scythe out, striking one of its ankles. It howled in pain before slowing down and licking it quickly, trying to soothe the wound.

Recovering quickly, it whirled on us and pounced, nearly trapping me beneath its cage-like claws. Rolling out of the way, I swung down with all my night, and the blade sunk deeply into one of its hind legs. I was swatted at immediately, and sent flying off onto the ground.

"Maka! Are you okay?" Soul stammered, ready to shift out of his form.

"No no! Don't! I'm fine." I replied, sitting up and reaching for him. The ache in my shoulder and ribs was immense, and I had to take a few measure gasps to keep my head on straight.

Before I could even find the creature, I was back on the ground, lying face down and screaming in pain. I rolled onto my back to see some glass sticking out of my abdomen, only about an inch in depth.

"Fuck!" I shouted, ripping it out with shaking hands. I kept my grip on Soul tight, refusing to let him transform.

"Maka get your shit together. We're gonna get killed at this rate." Pressing my hand to the puncture, I stood up uneasily, glancing around wildly for this monster. We made eye contact, and reacting faster than it, I side stepped its attack. Dodge, duck, roll, slice. That's three hits. Crouch, jump, strike. That's four.

I leapt onto its back, raising the scythe to strike down on its head. Just as I lowered the weapon, I was bucked off, and my head collided with a tombstone. My energy was entirely depleted, which isn't saying much considering I didn't have much to begin with.

"Maka! Maka get up. Maka its coming. You need to get up now! Maka! Maka its -" with one last burst of energy, I swiftly stood and struck upwards, cutting straight through the bottom of its mouth. It froze in position, claws outstretched and snagged on my stomach: just barely scratching it. The eyes stared at me bewildered for a moment before it disappeared entirely, and turned into that glorious, floating orb.

Coming out of his form now, Soul stepped away from me to eat the soul. I watched as black began to cloud the corners of my vision, and the world became muffled and dark. I knew he was saying something, but for the death of me, I couldn't hear him. The back of his head was the last thing I saw before I collapsed and things went pitch black.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for reading. I'm hoping that my updates will improve, considering I only have two finals to write! Next chapter should be up within 1 to 2 weeks. **

**I'm so sorry that haven't been that attentive to this story, or my other one these past few months. As some of you may have figured out, this story is based on my life, and it has been pretty good. I guess I just got scared of my own story, considering it became a trigger for myself. (Ironic hey? X3) But that failed, so whatever. I plan on writing a lot more. **

**If any of you have additional questions or would just like to share your thoughts with me, you can find me on tumblr gillianafs. I'm happy to answer any, if all questions or statements. **

**Also, I figured you guys would like this, but as of late I have started making fanart! If I finish it and it doesn't look like crap, I plan on posting it on tumblr under the above account. It will mostly be of the fictional characters I have created, and maybe a few of the fics I am currently following. **

**Thanks so much for the support guys! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Kept my promise, didn't I? Next chapter is going up next week Wednesday or Thursday :)**

* * *

_Maka_

It couldn't have been that long when I came to again, because I could feel arms securing me in their grip, a strong steady heartbeat, and rhythmic steps.

I cracked an eye open to see Soul looking tired and exhausted. Lifting my arm, I placed it around his neck to make it easier, and he glanced down in surprise.

"Maka? You're awake?" He stopped walking and gently set me down on the ground, propped up against a tree. I didn't reply, only mildly nodded as he crouched down next to me and stared at me concerned.

"How long have you been walking for?" I rasped out, my voice dry and cracking.

"Uhmm... A while. I had to leave my girl behind.. She uh, got a little beat up in the process." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, a look of sadness crossing his features. I was almost flattered that Soul chose to take me over the bike.

I didn't reply after that; most likely couldn't. It felt like my throat was bleeding.

" -not a big deal, I'll get Blackstar to help me fix her up." Still talking about the bike? "Anyways, what happened back there?" He said, gesturing behind him for emphasis.

"What do you mean?" I forced out.

"Well, people don't just pass out Maka." He said, incredulous, as if asking what else would he mean. "Were you in shock, maybe? I guess that is a lot to take in at once. Or maybe... Maybe you're anemic?" He rambled on, listing reasons for my episode. I still didn't reply to him. "What did you eat today?"

"..." I was startled into awareness at that, and I tried my very best to hide it from Soul. I'm not sure if it worked.

"Maybe it's something else entirely.. Like, like -" ignoring him again, I was very thankful he decided not to dwell on the question. "So then maybe we coul- wait, babe whoa whoa whoa. Settle down!"

I knocked his hand away and pushed myself upright, using the tree as support to stand up. Glancing down at myself, blood was smeared on my legs and plaid skirt, nasty scrapes running up and down them. My abdomen, where that 'conveniently' placed glass had gone in, was smeared in a rusty brown of drying blood. When I turned, my shirt would pull at the clotted wound and I winced, breathing in sharply and splaying my fingers over it.

Soul watched me in silence, only making a move for me when I gasped. He slung my arm over his shoulder and ushered me away from the tree.

"C'mon Maka. Lets get you patched up, okay?" Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led us towards the school.

* * *

When we got back to the school, we were instantly greeted by Stein, Sid and other professors I didn't recognize. Soul must have told them that I was in rough shape because they were all over me, throwing me on a gurney, putting in an IV, checking injuries. It was done at such a fast pace that I felt distressed and panicked, and more than once I tried to get away. It didn't take them long to sedate me.

Pressing the needle into the IV, the clear blue liquid quickly reached my vein, and it took a little bit longer for it to kick in. Disoriented, I tried to blink my vision clear, flex my fingers, swallow; basically do ANYTHING. But I may as well have been paralyzed, because every time I blinked it got blurrier, every time I flexed it got stiffer, and my spit was so thick that swallowing was impossible.

"Hey hey hey, Maka. Calm down. I'm right here." A hand threaded through mine and gently drew soothing circles in it. I felt like a mental patient, and couldn't help but feel the embarrassment of being rolled into a hospital room.

With that thought, I remembered my scars, and the specific reason I was in this place and began to panic. Doing my best not to show it, I clutched onto Soul's hand hard and tried to tell him with occasional squeezes, 'Get me the hell out of here Soul!'

...he didn't figure it out. Idiot.

Slowly, I could feel the sedative taking full force and I slipped from consciousness.

* * *

It was a brilliant white light that I woke up to, blinding me even with my eyes closed. I tried to blink myself awake, but it was too bright, and the intensity of it burned the back of my eyes. I turned onto my stomach and stuffed my face into the pillow. Opening my eyes slowly, I started to turn to the light in small increments until I could see my surroundings.

Surprisingly enough, I was home. Glancing around, I was laying in Soul's bed, and upon further inspection, with Soul.

Groaning, he slung his arm around me.

"Mmmm... Morning babe." He mumbled out, voice sleepy. I turned towards him and smiled. "How'd you sleep?"

"Okay. You?"

"Great." He grinned impishly, then pushed the covers back and stretched. "How're you feeling?"

"Good." I replied blandly, beginning to sit up and copy him. "Ow! Not good not good." I flopped back down when a sore ache spread throughout my body.

"You okay?" He asked, reaching to my aid. I nodded vigorously, warning him not to touch me; it hurt too badly. "Alright. Want me to make you some soup, or some tea?" Nodding again, I got a quick kiss on the forehead and he left. However, before he returned, I was already back to sleep.

* * *

Extremely loud banging on the door woke me sometime later. Glancing to the window, it was twilight, peaking onto night time. Rolling over, there was a glass of water on the nightstand and a little note that said

_Sleep well beautiful. :) I'll make you something when you wake up._

_ -S_

Aw. That was cute.

Carefully, I eased myself into a sitting position and reached for the glass, quickly chugging it down.

When I turned to hop off the bed, I felt the fabric of my now pajama top brush against a soft material. Lifting my shirt up, I noticed I was bandaged in a few random places, and a large wrap that secured my ribs. There was another one on my arm and there was a small little princess bandaid on my ankle, where I had gotten a scrape.

I smiled. Soul was adorable sometimes.

The banging sounded again, and an exhausted, irritated sigh was heard, and after, heavy footsteps. Door was flung open, and,

"Goddamnit, what!?" There was a slight pause before, "Blackstar...? What do you want?"

I walked to Soul's bedroom door and opened it, just in time to see Blackstar deck him in the face.

"Dude! What the fuck?" Soul screamed, touching his growing welt.

"How could you." Blackstar ground out, fists clenched at his sides and trembling terribly.

"Why does that even mean? Dude you can't just fly in here and punch me right after we've made up. It's -"

"How could you let her get hurt, Soul!? Stein said she wasn't in a very good condition. He said she passed out."

"Yeah well, that happens sometimes."

"That isn't normal Soul! You can't just shrug that off!"

"Blackstar, seriously! Back the fuck off. Maka is trying to sleep. Yeah, she got hurt. I did what I could, okay?"

"Clearly it wasn't enough, Soul! Do you have any ideeaaahaaaa... Uhhh... Hey there, Maka..." Blackstar mumbled out awkwardly, finally taking note of my presence. I waved back, a little exasperated at his dramatic presentation.

"Maka! Hey sweetie. You're awake?" Soul rushed over to me, grabbing my hands and giving me a quick peck. "Are you hungry? Should I warm up your soup from earlier?" If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to make Blackstar jealous.

"Sure." I led the way into the kitchen, ignoring the glare Blackstar gave Soul, and the snarl he returned.

When I sat down at the island, Blackstar came up behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders, gently massaging them. Soul's back was turned towards the oven as he put my soup back on the element, but when he turned around he noticed 'Star.

His eyes fixated above my head and he narrowed his eyes slightly, before reaching over and grabbing my hand, fiddling with my fingers.

"Maka, do you always do your hair like this? It's adorable!" Blackstar exclaimed, tugging on the ends of my bun.

"Uhmm..."

"You're nails are great Maka! What's your secret?" Soul asked, turning my hand over. Was I talking to a couple of gay guys?

"Your jammies are really cute Maka."

"You're so beautiful without makeup, babe."

"Are those bunny slippers? My god you're a cutie!"

"Your eyes are so green right now."

"Your hair is so shiny."

"and your skin is ridiculously smooth."

"Maka, your-"

"Alright enough!" I exclaimed, pushing away from their touchy fingers. "Although all this attention is very flattering, I seriously can't take it anymore. I'm not some object to be won. And I'm coming in between your friendship! You guys are best friends, and since I came along, there is so much tension. I cannot deal with this. So enough. You two are going to sit down, and talk this out. I'm going for a walk." I threw on my jacket and shoes before they even got a word in, storming out the door and slamming it.

That'll teach them...

...maybe.


	16. Chapter 16

_Maka_

I walked for a while before boredom got the best of me and I had to sit from exhaustion. It was pretty stupid of me to strain myself when I JUST got injured.

The seat I had found was a branch high in the trees. I scaled it quickly, perching myself in the 'v' it provided. I stared ahead at a plain field, thinking about things. I felt like that field right now; empty, boring, lame. There was nothing special about it. So why could I hear all the critters running across it, and the colours were too beautiful? How was it so full of life, if you couldn't see the life?

Drifting back to Soul and Blackstar, I couldn't help but question how the conversation was going.

"Probably went back to beating each other up. Hmph." I mumbled to myself, twiddling with a stick in my hand.

Scenarios went through my head like, 'They probably broke the coffee table' or, 'The whole apartment will be trashed' or, 'Maybe they're actually talking.' Blackstar and Soul were far too unpredictable to truly know, unless I went back now to find out. It was pretty risky, considering I placed alot of tension between them. _Aw, fuck it_. I decided, hopping down and making my way back.

I absently considered my school work that needed to be finished, and soon realized tomorrow is Saturday. I grinned widely, excited and happy that the week had gone by so quickly.

A thought occurred to me, and I spoke out loud,

"Tomorrow is Saturday." I paused, letting it sink in. "Oh shit. Tomorrow is _Saturday_! I don't wanna meet Soul's parents... Goddamnit. They'll hate me..." _They're presumably abusive, it's almost a given they'll be judgmental. I won't be good enough. They'll tell him to forget me and marry some pretty girl. _

My thoughts scrambled to insult myself, and doubt crawled into my mind and planted itself into the base of my skull. I couldn't do it. I'd mess up. Say the wrong thing. Embarrass myself. I felt anxious, almost to the point of illness.

The anxiety in my chest had my pace increasing, and I practically ran back home.

Opening the door and slamming it shut, I tried to steady my breathing from the extensive workout, and again it occurred to me how stupid it was to go out after an injury.

I huffed loudly, and rolled my eyes at myself. I pushed off the door and wandered around the apartment, looking for Soul and Blackstar.

The living room was abandoned, the kitchen - empty. The bathroom door was open and silent. I walked towards Soul's room, assuming they were in there. Peeking inside, I saw a fluffy white head hunched over its body, facing away from me. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, absorbed by whatever lay in his hands. He was alone.

"Soul?" I whispered, pushing the door open. It creaked loudly.

He turned just enough so I could see the side of his face, and a quiet sniffle broke the quiet. His face turned back to his hands and I crept in, seating myself beside him and laying a hand on his back. His hands were shaking, balled into fists now, hiding the item.

I saw a few tears slip out, and I rushed to wipe them away.

"Hey hey hey. Soul, baby, what's wrong?" I cooed gently, petting his hair. He laughed drily, and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"Sorry." Another short chuckle. "I'm being stupid." He sighed, and flopped onto his back, legs dangling over the edge.

"What happened?" I pressed, clasping his hand - his empty one - in mine.

"Blackstar left a while ago. Just more fighting after you were gone, although he didn't hit me again. Despite what you think, he's a lot worse when you're not around." I glanced up at his face. His cheek bone was darkening, but no longer swollen. "Oh, right. He broke the coffee table I think." I internally laughed. _Totally called that one. _

I looked at his other hand, and saw the crinkled edges of a photo through his fist. He saw me staring.

"Oh, it's just a picture of me and my mom." He sat up and handed it to me, uncurling the paper. I took it gently from his hands and smoothed it out, revealing the image. It was Soul as a kid, maybe five or six, and his mother kissing his cheek. It was positively adorable, with Soul's grin so wide it looked painful, and his mom looking radiant. Her hair was white, like his. "It's uh, my real mom. The one you're meeting tomorrow is my step-mom. She's a bitch..." He grumbled.

"What happened to her? Your mom." I whispered, looking between the picture and him. He took a deep sigh, and his hand clenched and unclenched in mine.

"It's... Kinda fucked up." I smiled sadly, nodding anyways.

"You can tell me anything, Soul." Another deep breath, and a long pause before he started,

"Well... We were a pretty cool family, I always thought. Rich, popular, ridiculously talented. This one day, I had this recital for piano. My older brother was over at a friend's, and my mom was supposed to come, but she just kept insisting she was too sick and to go without her. She seemed... off." Soul concluded, narrowing his eyes as if he were looking at her now. "So we left, whatever, I did really well. Got ice cream on the way back." He smiled lightly at that. "And I just remember stepping out of that car, and knowing something was _wrong_. Like... it felt like danger was just _there. _My father didn't really seem to notice, so I kinda swallowed it down and tagged behind him anyways. When he opened the door, he told me to go tell mommy how I did, while he went off into the kitchen. I walked into the living room to see my mother carving her arms up. I think dad walked in around then too..." Another pause and a sigh. The blandness in his voice was unnerving. "When she saw me, she rushed over and said, 'Do you like them? I made them for you, Bunny. Aren't they pretty?'" He made his voice go slightly higher to impersonate her. "I was eight at the time; obviously I'd be terrified to see my mother coated in her own blood. My dad tried to push her away from me, saying how she was scaring me. They were fighting, maybe... I don't really remember what happened after that - I think she punched him- but she grabbed the kitchen knife and dragged me into the bathroom before my dad could get up."

He paused for a second, grip tightening on the sheets for a brief moment before relaxing again. He pulled the shoulder of his sweater down and showed me a thick, long scar. "I remember she kept saying how 'I'd learn to like it.' And 'It'll make me feel better.' Then she sliced my shoulder open. At this point I was screaming and wailing at the top of my lungs while my dad was trying to break down the door. When he finally got it open, she had made three," he rolled up his left sleeve and pushed his sweater up to his ribcage; showing me two more slashes. I was horrified. "And I was bleeding a lot. Dad took the knife, and then they were screaming at each other. Mom was saying how he didn't get it, and he never would. He called her crazy and then she slapped him. He told her he had called the cops, and she made a move to grab me. Dad said something like, 'Don't you dare touch him again!" He pulled me behind him and lifted me up, walking away from my mom. She was shaking, just standing in the bathroom blankly. After that, my memory is on and off. Dad brought me to the kitchen, patched me up as best as he could. A little while later the ambulance showed up, and the cops." He stopped, closing his eyes tight and grinding his teeth down. A few more tears slipped out. "It was... _Horrible_," He choked on his words, clutching his ribs. "To see her like that. She was _shrieking _and struggling against the police, telling me she was so sorry and she loved me, and that I'd be her Bunny no matter what." He stopped again and took a shaky breath, opening his eyes. "A few weeks later, she went to court and her lawyer pleaded insanity. She was sent to the Loonie bin, and diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. I haven't even seen her since then..." He trailed off, looking guilty. His fingers flexed again.

"Soul." I said softly. He looked kind of wild right now, with his slight tremors, unruly hair, and such a broken glint in his eyes it hurt to look at. I placed my other hand on top of his, and held it tightly. He gave me a crooked smile in turn. "Do you... _Want_ to see her?"

"Yeah." He breathed out, voice quivering. He was staring me dead in the eye, almost pleading. "I'm absolutely terrified of her, and I haven't had the guts to go by myself. My... My dad wouldn't take me. He'd get mad and hit me if I pushed it." He said the last part like it was no big deal. I guessed that if your own mother cut open your skin, a hit from dad wasn't nearly as bad.

I kept quiet for a minute, looking down at our hands.

"I... I'll go with you." I could feel him staring at me in pure shock: he seemed speechless.

"R-really?" He stuttered, looking so overjoyed.

"Of course Soul. I'm here to help. And... No matter what, I'm not going anywhere..." I blushed a little at the cheesy moment, and Soul didn't hesitate to dive his arms around my waist and lay in my lap. He held onto me for dear life, gently quaking.

"Babe?" I asked. He looked up curiously with dry eyes, surprisingly. "What... Did Blackstar say to you? That brought all this up, I mean." Eyes hardening and jaw clenched again, he tensed and spoke roughly.

"Called me an emo fag, just like my mother. And that I'd end up hurting you like that."

Silence answered him, and he buried his face back into my lap.

I _couldn't _answer him. Blackstar had taken things too far this time.

I was _pissed_ as all hell.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to say, real sorry for missing last week! Had some family come in from outta town. **

**I should specify, this chapter isn't based off reality, so don't freak out. And on a kind of side note, not everything that happens in this story happened in my life. Like the description say, ****_based_**** off a true story.**

**Also, please give me your opinions guys! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	17. Chapter 17

_Maka_

"You ready, babe?" Soul called from down the hall; his room. I looked myself over in the mirror quick, deciding if I was.

I wore a short summer dress that had various colours of flowers on it - teal, blue, yellow, red, and pink - that cut off right above the knees. Spaghetti straps that were too stubborn for me constantly slipped off my shoulders, forcing me to wear a cardigan. I made sure to look presentable - and that 'evidence' from my favorite sharp objects was hidden. Since the sleeves only went to the elbows though, the bandage covering my bite wound was seen. _Whatever, it'll make me look tough_.

Cute pigtails were substituted for what I liked to call a princess bun: hair that twisted into itself with millions of bobby pins and a fancy comb for appearance in the back.

Just a touch of mascara and I was good.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I announced, checking over one last time for a flaw. Soul walked into the bathroom, impatient I presumed. I glanced over to see him in dress pants and a white button down shirt - he left the top two undone. The sleeves were also rolled up, showing off his scars. I wish I was confident enough for that. "Oh... You look so nice. Should I go change?" I stammered, not feeling fancy enough. When I went to exit the bathroom, Soul blocked my way and grabbed me shoulders, laughing lightly at me.

"Maka. You look amazing. Okay? Besides, you make everything look flawless, so it's no big deal." An assuring smile and a quick peck had me grinning. Taking my hand, Soul led me outside the apartment.

When we stepped out, I was surprised to see his bike there on the street.

"Wha- when did you get your bike back?" I stammered, staring at the orange beauty in shock.

"When you were sleeping all day." He smiled cheekily at me, kissing my nose before running towards it. He slid on, patting the seat behind him. I climbed on after him, snuggling up to him and gripping his waste. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

To say my hair was a mess when we pulled up was an understatement. It was matted, frizzies stuck out here and there, and the bun was so loose I was surprised it hadn't fallen out.

Slipping off the bike, I began the annoying process of removing all the bobby pins. I redid it to the best of my ability, slipping the pins back in and securing it with the sparkly comb again.

And now, before the door, my nerves skyrocketed. I glanced at Soul, and he didn't seem present. He shut his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, using the other one to ring the doorbell. His hands were shaking.

I reached over and grasped one, giving it a light squeeze. He startled out of his daze, opening his eyes and staring at our connected hands. I squeezed again.

"It's okay, Soul. I'm here." I smiled, and he looked up at my face, giving me an awkward half smile. The door opened.

"Hi!" An incredibly artificial female voice greeted, forcefully taking my free hand and shaking it excessively. My whole body moved. She had bright orange hair, feathered outwards at a short length. An overly expensive party dress went down to her ankles, where silver shoes sparkled. And oh God, her face. Talk about plastic surgery. "You must be Maka! It's so great to meet you!" She had one of those loud, incredibly irritating voices, and I had to force a smile back at her.

"Uh, hi. It's nice to meet you too, Mrs...?" I questioned, pulling my hand from her bony fingers.

"Madeline Evans!" She announced like she was the greatest person in the world. I internally rolled my eyes. "Now dear, saying 'uh' is not proper, nor sophisticated." My eyebrows shot up in offense and surprise. I heard Soul sigh in annoyance beside me. "Well? Are you coming in?" She turned on her glamorous heals and strutted down a hallway, and with far too much sway. I could only help but scoff.

"Nice to see you too, ice-bitch." Soul muttered beside me, walking forward with a lazy slouch and annoyed glare.

"I heard that, you Soul-less brat." She called back. _Okay, definite bitch_. I concluded, thinking oddly at her play on words. Soul is soul-less? It wasn't even funny. We followed her down the hall to where she turned at a door.

"Honey, your son is here." I heard Madeline murmuring to someone from the next room. A gruff, "humph" was the person's response when we walked in. It was a stare down between Soul and the man on the couch, an awkward silence stretching out.

"Hi dad." Soul said quietly, pulling his free hand out of his pocket and waving slightly.

"Been a while, huh kid?" His deep voice answered, looking both tense and elated that Soul was here. His eyes flicked to me.

"Oh, dad. This is Maka. She's my... Well, she's my girlfriend." He looked at me and smirked, and I couldn't help but stare at him wide eyed. Did that mean we were official?

An outstretched hand brought me away from my shock, and I shook it quickly.

"Steven." Short, and straight to the point. I liked him.

"Maka." I answered in the same tone, giving him a look of approval, and getting one back.

"Mm, Soul, dear. Your shoes are dirty and you're ruining my clean carpets!" The dubbed 'ice-bitch' interrupted, obviously flustered the attention wasn't on her. Soul narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm sure _dirtier_ things have happened on this rug." He grit out, staring at her with an evil smirk.

"My God child! Do not suggest such wicked things in front of a your father! In front of this young lady! Goodness, you disgust me." Soul laughed humorlessly at her, while his father and I made eye contact.

"Why do you talk like that? You sound stupid." Soul answered, and I quickly drowned them out.

"Are they always like this?" I whispered to him, sitting on the seat beside him while Soul and Madeline told each other off. A big long sigh answered me.

"As long as I can remember. Everything is a competition with those two. Whoever can humiliate who the most." He rolled his eyes, incredulous at the behavior. He turned his attention back to the TV in front of him, while the bickering continued behind us. I took this moment to study Steven.

His hair was light brown, dusted with streaks of gray running across his scalp. His clothing was casual: comfortable for the home I assumed. He had a beer in his hand, and the way he tilted it back and drank from the bottle reminded me of Soul. Okay, a lot like Soul.

Average in build and height, being about 6'2". But his face was the most interesting. Crow's feet sprouted from the corners of his eyes, showing me all the times he's spent smiling. But recent lines in his forehead and mouth indicated frown lines. His blue eyes looked dimmed; tired and sad. There was something lonely about that stare.

"- will you please talk to your child? He is so incredibly rude, and you just let him walk all over me!" Madeline blundered behind us, Soul scoffing loudly.

"As if! I didn't even say-"

"Soul." I interrupted, staring at him intently. Madeline took that moment to leave the room.

"Ah. I'm sorry." He frowned, ashamed of himself and evidently embarrassed when his cheeks flushed a light pink. I patted the spot beside me, and he smiled crookedly at me, sauntering over and taking a seat. He looked to the TV, and I did too, curious as to what the big deal was.

"Whose playing tonight?" Soul gestured to the show on the TV. It was a sports channel of some sort that was airing a game of rugby.

"Australia and England."

"Ooh, that's a close game." Soul answered, and I immediately got bored of the sport talk. I sat with them for a while before I got up and went into the kitchen where Madeline was heard clanging things around.

"Oh god, she probably doesn't even know what a pot does." I muttered to myself, stepping into the room.

The kitchen was incredibly clean and stunning, aside from the jumble of pots and pans on the floor, where a distressed Madeline stood.

"Everything alright?" I asked, gesturing to the mess. She startled, turning to me in fear. _Obviously. I caught her in an embarrassing situation. _

"Yes yes. I'm just fine. No need to worry, sweety." Ugh, again with the pet names. She turned her attention to the pots and pans, beginning to pick them up.

"Well, do you need a hand with anything?" She looked up in surprise, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Probably the first time she heard that from a seventeen year old.

"Uhm, sure! If you wouldn't mind!" She stuttered out, looking back to the pots.

'It isn't proper nor sophisticated to use 'uhm'!' I mocked in my head. Stupid woman.

I gathered the pots up, stacking them from largest to smallest and setting them beside the pans she had gathered.

"So Maka, how old are you?" She asked out of the blue, leaning rather casually on the counter for a rich-bitch.

"Oh, I'm 17."

"17, hm? Soul is turning 19 soon. Aren't you kind of young for him?" She asked, being a judgmental prude.

"Well, not really. We're only a year and a half apart, and that's just because I'm taking senior classes." I answered smoothly, showing off my intelligence.

"Senior classes, huh? How well do you do in school?"

"Never had a mark under 85. My Papa kind of insists on it, and I really want to be a doctor."

"He sounds like a good man." She smiled, a strange glint appearing in her eyes. '_Don't even think about it, slut_.' I told her in my head. "And what of your mother?" Questioned innocently. A lonely ache twisted in my heart, and I had to avert my eyes to answer.

"Oh she's not... In the picture." I answered honestly, suddenly craving how safe her hugs always felt.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You seem like a lovely child to have as a daughter." Her response came, and when I looked back up I saw an honesty to her features. Albeit, with all that Botox, it was hard to differentiate her expressions.

I smiled a teeny smile, and muttered a quiet 'thanks' before a silence settled between us.

"Well, we'd best get down to business, hm?" She asked, gesturing to the room behind her where the two boys sat.

"Business? What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Hm, you don't know? Well, Steven and I have never had great communication with Soul, even when he was living here. I've been hearing rumors from other parents that Soul is in a bad place, with a bad group of people. Dangerous people. And not to mention his marks in school." This sounded like something I shouldn't know, and my brain made the connection between her explanation and Soul's as to why we couldn't be together - at that time. "When his teacher called us the other day, he seemed honestly concerned for Soul, and so Steven and I decided it was time to confront our... Lack of connection with him. I do feel awful that him and I have never really gotten along. He's always had an unspoken hatred for me. But I guess a lot of children do with their step-parents." She stopped her rambling and stared off in the distance in thought. "Lets get it over with, hm?"

She pushed off the counter and strode back out to the living room, shutting the TV off. Steven and Soul glanced up at her in question, and by the look Steven gave her, it told me he knew it was time. He stood up across from Soul beside Madeline, and I swiftly scurried over to sit near Soul, to soothe the panic that sprouted in his eyes.

"Soul." Madeline started blandly. "Your father and I have been hearing things lately, and with the call from your teacher the other day, we decided it was time for a talk." Steven stayed quiet beside her, looking at the ground almost shamefully. Soul leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

"What exactly have you been '_hearing_,' dearest Madeline?" He sneered her name, glaring heavily at her.

"Soul, I know we've never really gotten along, but I am honestly concerned for your well being."

"No you're not! You've only ever cared about the money my dad has. You're -"

"Soul. This isn't about me. And despite this bone-deep hate you have for me, I _do_ care." Soul only scoffed in response. "As I said, we've been hearing things-"

"Like what!" Soul gestured incredulously, standing up suddenly. It was surprising to me, and I looked up, watching him carefully.

"Like your... Drug addiction." His dad stepped in, firmly stating this.

"God _damn_ it. How many times have we been through this? I'm not. On fucking. Drugs! Get it through your thick skulls to your peanut brains already."

"Soul Eater Evans. You watch your mouth. Do not cuss at your father."

"And fuck you too, Madeline! You can't tell me what to do!" He screamed back, pointing at her accusingly.

"So then why were you with Giriko the other day? Soul, you know how we feel about him." Madeline asked politely, trying to remain calm.

"So you're following me now? Jesus Christ! Do you have _any_ respect for boundaries!" Soul attacked, pacing anxiously.

"Answer the question Soul." His dad interrupted, looking stern and angry.

"Alright, yeah. I saw Giriko the other day. Big fuckin' deal. I can talk to whoever I want."

"Soul, why are you being so defensive...?" I murmured uncertainly, uncomfortable and scared at his aggressive behavior. He whipped around to glare harshly at me before staring back at the ground and continuing his pacing. I swallowed loudly.

"Not when we went through so much trouble to get a restraining order on him for you. Soul, you came to us, scared, and begged us to help you." Soul was rendered speechless, and again I saw the terror in his eyes.

Hearing all of this was a lot to take in. I had no idea Soul's issues ran this deep, and to see that pain in his parent's eyes was heartbreaking. My father had only ever looked at me like that once, after Mama had left and he had to tell me the news.

"Soul, please. If something is going on, if you're in a tough situation, we can help you if you would just let us _in_." Madeline breathed out, and I swear I saw an abnormal shine to her eyes. She was crying.

"No you can't. You can't help me. No one can. It's that _woman's_ fault. And _nobody_ can change that!" Soul breathed in sharply, voice quivering. He looked too panicked; like a scared animal caged in, cornered.

"Soul." His father choked out, looking more broken then he did. "Please don't do this to me." He walked forward, palms out in a way of surrender. Soul watched him skeptically, glaring at his hands from the corner of his eye. "I know what happened ten years ago was hard for you. And I know with Madeline moving into your life just short of a year after was even worse. But I get it, okay kid? I understand -" he set his hand on Soul's shoulder, and he was quick to retaliate, shoving the man off of him.

"No! No you don't! And you never will!" Soul screamed, heading straight for the door. Madeline, Steven and I all sat in shock, looks of pain and agony on each of our faces. The door slammed shut, and moments later I heard his motor cycle peel out.

The three of us could only stare at each other in horror of everything that just happened. It was confirmed: I definitely didn't know Soul.

* * *

**A/N: Oh! Angsty X) blah, I'm a crappy author. :/ two days late! What is this nonsense! I'll try to scrounge up an early chapter for you guys, but don't hate me if I can't write three chapters in a week! **

**As usual, please review, and thanks for the continued support guys! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

_Soul_

I was so angry I was shaking. It felt like someone was burning the inside of my chest, and it was impossible to just sit there and take it. I even glared at Maka.

"Oh god what have I done?" I grasped my hair in my hands and pulled tight, trying to rip the anger out.

I had driven nearly two blocks away, and when I almost crashed, I had to pull over and get off. I was now pacing anxiously in an alley, looking like a mad-man tweaking.

"God fucking _dammit_!" I screamed, punching the wooden fence in front of me. The entire thing rattled. I needed something to break, someone to hurt; I needed to get under _control_. I started talking to myself in a hushed voice, paranoid of people overhearing.

"No, you're fine Soul. Stop being such a weak piece of shit. You've been in control for months now. Get it together man." A teeny bit better, I was able to slow down my aggressiveness and stop my pacing.

I leaned against the fence and sighed loudly, running a hand through my hair before slumping to the ground. I gripped the white strands again and just held it there, trying to vent any stress I could non-violently.

"Visit to the parents, huh?" A cruel, mocking voice asked, and only then did I hear his footsteps coming into the alley.

"What makes you say that." I grit out, keeping my head down.

"Fancy clothes, two blocks away from the house, sitting in an alley near tears." He listed off smugly, and I could just tell by his voice of the evil smirk he was wearing.

"Did you follow me here?" He stopped walking right in front of me, where I could see his ugly and very grimy shoes in front of me.

"So what if I did? Besides, you've got somethin' for me, right?" He crouched down in front of me, and I finally revealed my fave to glare questionably at him. It was Giriko, and no other voice could have matched that jagged grin.

"Not _here_. You seriously think I'd bring that much dough to my _parent's_ house? That's just screaming suspicious." I let an empty and crooked grin out as I heaved on a humorless breath of laughter. He smiled back, feigning sweetness.

Before I could react, Giriko lifted me up by the collar of my shirt and slammed me against the same wooden fence I had punched. He scowled harshly now, and when I went to talk, he rocked my body back onto the splintering wood. His hand gently slid up to curl around my neck, and he slowly increased the pressure until I was gasping desperately for air.

"Now listen here. We had a _deal_, kiddo. And loaning you that much blow in one day _without_ immediate pay was already a _very_ generous offer on my side." He paused, twisting his hand at my throat and cutting into the soft skin with his dirty nails.

I quietly whimpered, quiet enough to be brushed off but loud enough to be heard. He laughed maliciously, gripping tighter even yet. I was torn between trying to breathe and trying to escape.

"You know how it works Soul: you give me money, I give you blow. You get the money, bring it back to me and I give you your share." Another twist of the fingers.

He must have been able to tell I was about to pass out, for when I began going limp, he released me entirely to stagger and gain my footing, choking and shaking violently.

"Now, I know you didn't use the drugs for yourself; you're not that stupid. But I know you sold a lot of it, and I want my money. I dearly hope you didn't spend it." He seemed to be in the mood I was moments before being terrified out of it; out for blood. "Meet me at death cafe. Eleven tonight." He paused, brushing a hand through his unruly spikes before advancing on me again.

He gripped my wrist and my waist painfully hard. Using his thumb, he dug into the one spot that was still healing on my stomach, but still scarred. All the damaged nerves underneath the healed skin pulsed painfully, and I reacted by punching him in the face. _Good one, Soul. Let's just assault the guy that could probably kill you with his finger. _I pressed my hand to my lower left abdomen, protecting the scar, and tried to get a hold on my breathing. It was still labored and wheezy, and I needed to lean against that stupid fence to keep from falling down.

Giriko laughed coldly, wiping the blood from his lip. He seemed surprised, but almost proud.

"It took you nearly a year to hit me back. Good for you kid." He slapped me on the shoulder as though we were comrades, and took his leave. I stayed standing against the fence, watching him disappear around the corner.

"Don't make me come find you when you don't show up, Eater." He called from a ways away, but I still heard.

I crumpled to the ground, no longer afraid to look weak. It wasn't necessarily that the physical pain was too much, I just felt tired. I held my neck gingerly, feeling the sting of broken skin. _Goddamn bastard._

It almost made me laugh, though, how close my parents were to the truth. Maybe if they knew I wasn't that stupid, they could put that final piece in.

Drug dealer was pretty bad though, I guess._ But never a drug addict_. I had pushed up off the ground, leaning on my hands and knees, when my phone started going off. It's annoying chime irritated the crap out of me, so I made haste in pulling it out of my pocket and sliding the "answer" button.

"What?" My voice was deep and raspy, cracking slightly.

"Hey dude! It's me!" Blackstar. _Okay, guess were gonna pretend you __**didn't**__ cuss me out the other day_. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and didn't have to wait long for him to continue talking without a response. "So how about some drinks tonight?" He sounded peppy; too happy. Maybe another apology was coming my way.

"Uh." I cleared my throat, hating the way it felt like razors grinding. "I guess so. I don't have much else to do." _Aside from give a psychopath a shit ton of money_. I sounded pained, and I was certain I was grimacing. Blackstar didn't reply for a while, and I idly wondered if he was figuring it out.

"Are you... Okay, man?" Concern was coating his voice, but I couldn't help the anger I held towards him still.

"Just fuckin' peachy." I croaked out, coughing excessively.

"Did something happen? Where are you?" I was tempted to just hit that big red 'end' button, but I decided against it.

"A goddamn alley a few blocks from my parent's place."

"Soul..." He trailed off, sounding sad. He knew so much, it was ridiculous. We had our fights, he was a COMPLETE douche-bag ninety percent of the time, but he never gave up on the utter failure I was. It was nice, having a... Brother. I smiled lightly at the thought. "What did they say?"

"Just accused me of using drugs again." I answered, rolling up to a standing position. "'Star... I can't go back there. And... Maka is still over there. I blew up on my parents in front of her. Probably the most humiliating thing I've ever done." I said sheepishly, waiting for the monster explosion in my face. A long, contemplative sigh answered me.

"What street are you on?" I was surprised at his relatively calm tone, and answered quickly.

"Ninth."

"Alright, just stay put. I'll come pick you up and we can chat. I'll call Maka and let her know what's happening. Okay?" I nodded before I realized he couldn't see me.

"Sure." I whispered before hanging up. I didn't wanna talk anymore, not over the phone. I walked over to my bike and leaned heavily on it, highly unnerved at leaving her behind _again_.

I spent my time calming my nerves and catching my breath, waiting for him to show up. It was maybe ten minutes later when a black hummer rolled up beside me. I pushed off the bike and sauntered over to his car, climbing into the front seat. I was probably in there for a millisecond before Blackstar started.

"DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!" He jumped backwards, away from me. He stared at me as though I was bizarre, wide eyed and in absolute shock.

"What...?" I furrowed my eyebrow in absolute confusion, looking my shirt and pants over a few times to see if there was something startling. Blackstar leaned forward and his fingers grazed my neck, making me pull back and hiss in pain.

"What the fuck happened to your neck?" He asked, looking at it from different angles. "Are those... Are those nail marks?" I stared at him in silence, giving him the answer to his unasked question.

"How bad is it." I asked, lacking any tone in my voice: it hurt too much.

"Pretty _fuckin_' bad." He was absolutely seething. He lurched forward again, but this time snapped down the visor. I looked in the mirror, and was rendered absolutely speechless. "Who the fuck was it? I will– I... For fuck's sake Soul. I will kill that bastard."

I was too focused on the purple and black welt covering my neck now, surprised it had gotten so bad so quickly. How did it even show up that fast? It couldn't have been any longer than twenty minutes ago. Where he had dug in, there were teeny little red crescent cuts, not even deep enough to bleed. If anyone else saw this...

"You can't tell Maka!" I nearly shouted, whirling on him and snapping the visor back up.

"Whu- what?" He sputtered, confused at the outburst.

"Please don't tell her. With the drug talk just now with my parents, and me having a mental breakdown in front of everyone, she's already worried enough. Just, _please_. Please don't tell her." I was panicking again, thinking of the way she'd look at me if she found any of this out.

Blackstar watched me curiously for a few moments before his eyes hardened.

"Fuck Soul! What are you thinking!? ... I can't even talk to you right now!" He screamed, angrier now then before, surprisingly. _Huh_? "It was fucking Giriko, wasn't it!? You're not even supposed to be around that goddamn idiot!" Hm, he was definitely smarter then I thought. "Why were you with him? I thought you had someone to give him the money?" He sounded nicer now, more worried again.

"I do. The fucker hunted me down, said my pay was late. Which is fucking bullshit. But it's whatever I guess." Finally, after sitting idle in the car for a while, he switched into drive and pulled away from the curb, just driving aimlessly.

"Do your buttons up and pop your collar." He demanded, keeping his eyes straight.

"What, why?" I asked, staring at him strangely.

"'Cause we're going to pick Maka up."

* * *

**A/N: Intense stuff huh? :3 **

**I realize I left a lot of you guys mad and hating Blackstar, but even good people do bad things! hehe. Or.. Say bad things I guess. I don't know, you guys can hate him all you want! :) **

**But anyways, I figured we hadn't heard from Soul's side in a while, so why not? Although, unless it is absolutely necessary for you guys to know Soul's perspective, this is going to stay a Maka POV story... For the most part. **

**Hoping for the next update to be on Thursday, as per usual. :) **


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